Abstract B50: Keratin 17 drives tumor aggression and could be targeted for treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Our aims are to uncover the molecular mechanisms through which keratin 17 (K17), a prognostic biomarker, drives tumor aggression and to target these mechanisms to provide more effective treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In murine orthotopic xenografts, we found that K17-positve PDACs survive for a shorter interval than controls. Prompted by previous reports that post-translational modifications (PTMs) regulate intermediate filament dynamics, we established in vitro that phosphorylated K17 detaches from the cytoskeleton and enters the nucleus, where it promotes tumor growth by targeting tumor suppressor proteins, including p27, for nuclear export and degradation. To further understand the events that control K17 solubilization, we sequenced K17 from primary PDACs by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and identified serine sites within the N-terminus that are phosphorylated only in soluble K17. Furthermore, phosphorylation is required to maintain K17 solubility and soluble K17 accumulates in the nucleus of PDAC cells. By an unbiased screen of 80 small-molecule kinase inhibitors in PDAC, we determined that SYK kinase inhibitors, already in clinical trials for other malignancies, abrogated K17 solubilization. Prompted by our finding that K17 serves as a nuclear shuttle of p27, we identified two amino acid sequences in K17 that have similar polarity to sequences that are used by cyclins to dock to p27. Point mutations in two of these domain key residues blocked K17-mediated degradation of nuclear p27, and we identified similar effects in the background of wild-type and oncogenic KrasG12D PDAC cells. Current studies are under way to find additional protein and RNA targets for potential therapeutic intervention. Using patient-derived organoids, human and murine PDAC cells, we determined that K17-expressing PDAC cells are more than twice as resistant as isogenic K17-negative cells to gemcitabine (Gem) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), two key components of current chemotherapeutic regimens. By unbiased liquid chromatography-coupled tandem mass spectrometry metabolomics, RNA-sequencing analyses (TCGA), and in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we found that K17 induces metabolic reprogramming by increasing glycolysis and pyrimidine biosynthesis, pathways that have been linked to chemoresistance. We are extending this work to determine if disruption of K17-mediated metabolic rewiring by small-molecule inhibitors will resensitize tumor cells to pyrimidine analogues. In conclusion, K17 undergoes key post-translational modifications that enable solubilization and nuclear translocation, the targeting of tumor suppressor proteins, and enhanced pyrimidine biosynthesis to drive chemoresistance. Uncovering these mechanisms could ultimately lead to the identification of novel approaches to target the oncogenic functions of K17, and thereby, to enable the development of more effective treatment options for PDAC. Citation Format: Kenneth R. Shroyer, Luisa Escobar-Hoyos, Cindy Leiton, Chun-Hao Pan, Ryan Kawalerski, Lucia Roa-Pena, Sruthi Babu. Keratin 17 drives tumor aggression and could be targeted for treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Science and Clinical Care; 2019 Sept 6-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(24 Suppl):Abstract nr B50.