Interleukin-17 activates and synergizes with the notch signaling pathway in the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Cancer Lett. 2021 Jun 28:508:1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.03.003. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Abstract

Interleukin (IL)-17 is a prominent cytokine that promotes pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and is associated with the oncogenic pathways in tumor progression. However, the mechanism and therapeutic value of the IL-17 axis remain unclear. In this study, we verified the activation of the IL-17 and Notch pathways in PanIN/PDAC via complementary approaches and validated their pro-tumor effects on tumor progression. Additionally, we found a positive correlation between IL-17 and Notch; the IL-17 axis can upregulate Notch activity via the canonical NF-κB pathway in vitro, thus synergistically promoting PanIN/PDAC. Furthermore, we observed that the co-inhibition of IL-17 and the Notch pathway can enhance the therapeutic effect by restricting tumor growth in vivo. Our study highlights the synergistic effect of the IL-17 axis and Notch pathway in promoting PanIN/PDAC and further suggests that IL-17-Notch co-inhibition is a novel therapeutic strategy with superior potential in treating PDAC.

Keywords: Co-inhibition; Combination therapy; NF-κB; Pancreatic cancer; Synergy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / therapy
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Disease Progression
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Heterografts
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-17 / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Interleukin-17 / genetics
  • Interleukin-17 / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Nude
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / therapy
  • Receptors, Notch / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptors, Notch / genetics
  • Receptors, Notch / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Interleukin-17
  • NF-kappa B
  • Receptors, Notch