The Inflammatory Response of Human Pancreatic Cancer Samples Compared to Normal Controls

Authors

Kathryn J. Brayer, Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America.
Joshua A. Hanson, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America.
Shashank Cingam, Division of Hematology- Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America.
Cathleen Martinez, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America.
Scott A. Ness, Department of Internal Medicine, Molecular Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America.
Ian Rabinowitz, Division of Hematology- Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2023

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a poor prognosis cancer with an aggressive growth profile that is often diagnosed at late stage and that has few curative or therapeutic options. PDAC growth has been linked to alterations in the pancreas microbiome, which could include the presence of the fungus Malassezia. We used RNA-sequencing to compare 14 matched tumor and normal (tumor adjacent) pancreatic cancer samples and found Malassezia RNA in both the PDAC and normal tissues. Although the presence of Malassezia was not correlated with tumor growth, a set of immune- and inflammatory-related genes were up-regulated in the PDAC compared to the normal samples, suggesting that they are involved in tumor progression. Gene set enrichment analysis suggests that activation of the complement cascade pathway and inflammation could be involved in pro PDAC growth.

Recommended Citation

Brayer KJ, Hanson JA, Cingam S, Martinez C, Ness SA, Rabinowitz I. The inflammatory response of human pancreatic cancer samples compared to normal controls. PLoS One. 2023 Nov 1;18(11):e0284232. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284232. PMID: 37910468; PMCID: PMC10619777.