Abstract 5587: Regulator of chromosome condensation 1 (RCC1) as a novel therapeutic target in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Bannoura Sahar F. , Khan Husain Y. , Aboukameel Amro , Uddin Md Hafiz , Nimri Rund , Beal Eliza , Kim Seongho , Hallak Mohammed Najeeb Al , El-Rayes Bassel , Philip Philip A. , Pasche Boris , Mohammad Ramzi , Azmi Asfar S. 
Published: March 2024

Background and Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal disease with limited treatment options. There is an urgent need for the identification of novel therapeutic targets for PDAC. The transport of molecular cargo between the nucleus and cytoplasm, facilitated by Ran-GTPase, is a critical process that dividing cells rely on to maintain their growth. Elevated nuclear Ran-GTP levels are produced by the activity of the Ran guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) known as Regulator of Chromosome Condensation 1 (RCC1), which is found in the nucleus bound to chromatin. This creates a Ran-GTP gradient across the nuclear membrane, which maintains proper directional transport of proteins and RNA. To sustain proliferative signaling, cancer cells become reliant on high rates of nucleocytoplasmic transport through dysregulation of transport machinery.

Methods: We examined the role of RCC1 in the biology of PDAC. The impact of RCC1 modulation on PDAC growth was evaluated using RNA interference and CRISPR-Cas9 in vitro and in vivo using PDAC cell lines and LSL-KrasG12D/+; LSL-Trp53R172H/+; Pdx1-Cre (KPC) tumor-derived cells. The broader impact of RCC1 silencing on PDAC-sustaining signaling was evaluated through RNA-sequencing and proteomics.

Results: Transcriptomic sequencing of PDAC tissue (n=5,071) as well as analysis of publicly available data from the TCGA, CPTAC and GTEx revealed that RCC1 expression is higher in PDAC tissues compared to normal pancreas. Moreover, PDAC patients with higher RCC1 expression were more likely to have poorer outcomes. RCC1 silencing by RNAi and CRISPR-Cas9 resulted in reduced proliferation in 2D and 3D cultures and attenuated tumor growth in vivo. RCC1 KD decreased migration and colony formation, enhanced apoptosis, and altered the cell cycle in human and KPC mouse PDAC cells. Subcutaneous RCC1 KO cell line-derived xenografts show arrested growth. Subcellular Ran distribution was disrupted upon RCC1 KO, suggesting that nuclear Ran concentration is important for PDAC proliferation. Nuclear and cytosolic proteomic analysis revealed altered subcellular proteome in RCC1 KD KPC tumor-derived cells. Altered cytoplasmic protein pathways include several metabolic pathways, PI3K-AKT, and Hedgehog signaling. Nuclear enriched pathways include cell cycle, mitosis, metabolic processes, and RNA processing. RNA-seq of RCC1 KO cells showed widespread transcriptional alterations. Upstream of RCC1, c-MYC activates the RCC1-RAN axis, and RCC1 KO cells show differential sensitivity to c-MYC inhibitors. Finally, RCC1 KD resulted in the sensitization of PDAC cells to Gemcitabine. Molecular characterization of conditional Rcc1fl/fl KO transgenic model to study the role of RCC1 in PDAC in vivo is ongoing.

Conclusions: Overall, our results show that RCC1 is involved in the regulation of PDAC growth and is a potential target for therapy.

Citation Format: Sahar F. Bannoura, Husain Y. Khan, Amro Aboukameel, Md Hafiz Uddin, Rund Nimri, Eliza Beal, Seongho Kim, Mohammed Najeeb Al Hallak, Bassel El-Rayes, Philip A. Philip, Boris Pasche, Ramzi Mohammad, Asfar S. Azmi. Regulator of chromosome condensation 1 (RCC1) as a novel therapeutic target in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 5587.