Abstract
AbstractBackgroundAcinar ductal metaplasia (ADM) is among the earliest initiating events in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) development.MethodsWe developed a novel morphology-based screen using organoids from wildtype and p48Cre/+(Cre) mice to discover epigenetic modulators that inhibit or reverse pancreatic ADM more effectively than the broad-spectrum HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA).ResultsOf the 144 compounds screened, nine hits and two additional natural product HDAC inhibitors were validated by dose-response analysis. The class I HDAC inhibitors apicidin and FK228, and the histone methyltransferase inhibitor chaetocin demonstrated pronounced ADM inhibition and reversal without inducing significant cytotoxicity at 1 µM. Thioester prodrug class I HDAC inhibitor largazole attenuated ADM while its disulfide homodimer was effective in both ADM inhibition and reversal. Prioritized compounds were validated for ADM reversal in p48Cre/+;LSL-KrasG12D/+(KC) mouse organoids using both morphological and molecular endpoints. Molecular index analysis of ADM reversal in KC mouse organoids demonstrated improved activity compared to TSA. Improved prodrug stability translated into a stronger phenotypic and molecular response. RNA-sequencing indicated that angiotensinogen was the top inhibited pathway during ADM reversal.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate a unique epigenetic mechanism and suggest that the phenotypic screen developed here may be applied to discover potential treatments for PDAC.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory