GRP78 haploinsufficiency suppresses acinar-to-ductal metaplasia, signaling, and mutant Kras-driven pancreatic tumorigenesis in mice

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a highly lethal disease in critical need of new therapeutic strategies. Here, we report that the stress-inducible 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78/HSPA5), a key regulator of endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis and PI3K/AKT signaling, is overexpressed in the acini and PDAC of Pdx1-Cre; Kras(G12D/+); p53(f/+) (PKC) mice as early as 2 mo, suggesting that GRP78 could exert a protective effect on acinar cells under stress, as during PDAC development. The PKC pancreata bearing wild-type Grp78 showed detectable PDAC by 3 mo and rapid subsequent tumor growth. In contrast, the PKC pancreata bearing a Grp78(f/+) allele (PKC78(f/+) mice) expressing about 50% of GRP78 maintained normal sizes during the early months, with reduced proliferation and suppression of AKT, S6, ERK, and STAT3 activation. Acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) has been identified as a key tumor initiation mechanism of PDAC. Compared with PKC, the PKC78(f/+) pancreata showed substantial reduction of ADM as well as pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia-1 (PanIN-1), PanIN-2, and PanIN-3 and delayed onset of PDAC. ADM in response to transforming growth factor a was also suppressed in ex vivo cultures of acinar cell clusters isolated from mouse pancreas bearing targeted heterozygous knockout of Grp78 (c78(f/+)) and subjected to 3D culture in collagen. We further discovered that GRP78 haploinsufficiency in both the PKC78(f/+) and c78(f/+) pancreata leads to reduction of epidermal growth factor receptor, which is critical for ADM initiation. Collectively, our studies establish a role for GRP78 in ADM and PDAC development.