Six highlights from pancreatic cancer research

"Pancreatic cancer is extremely aggressive. One reason for this is the dense physical barrier that surrounds the tumour, known as the stroma. This is composed of tumour cells, and a network of proteins and other cell types, such as fibroblasts. The stroma protects cancer cells from the body's immune response and from drugs intended to treat the malignancy. Nature Outlook: Pancreatic cancer"

"Stroma fibroblasts were known to secrete galectin-1 (Gal-1), a sugar-binding protein that helps cancer cells to grow. But an international team led by Pilar Navarro at the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona, Spain, has now identified Gal-1 inside the nuclei of fibroblasts, in which it regulates the expression of several cancer-associated genes, including KRAS. Because Gal-1 fuels the production of KRAS protein inside fibroblasts, these cells stay activated, promoting tumour growth and spread."

"The newly-discovered location of Gal-1 expands the focus of therapies that inhibit it. Researchers say that targeting Gal-1, both in and outside cells, is a promising strategy that might help to improve outcomes for people with pancreatic cancer. Therapies that can enter tumour-associated fibroblasts and block Gal-1 in the nucleus might help to reprogram the cells into a less aggressive and activated state, potentially diminishing their role in tumour development and aggression."

Pancreatic tumours are surrounded by a dense stroma that includes fibroblasts and a protein network, which shields cancer cells from immune responses and drugs. Galectin-1 (Gal-1), known as a secreted sugar-binding protein, is also located in fibroblast nuclei where it regulates cancer-associated genes including KRAS, and increases KRAS protein production to keep fibroblasts activated, promoting tumour growth and spread. Targeting Gal-1 both outside and inside cells, particularly blocking nuclear Gal-1 in tumour-associated fibroblasts, could reprogram these cells toward a less aggressive state and potentially improve outcomes. The dark genome produces cryptic peptides, hundreds specific to pancreatic tumours.

Read at Nature