3D pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma desmoplastic model: Glycolysis facilitating stemness via ITGAV-PI3K-AKT-YAP1

The distinctive desmoplastic tumor microenvironment (TME) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is crucial in determining the stemness of tumor cells. And the conventional two-dimensional (2D) culture does not adequately mimic the TME. Therefore, a three-dimensional (3D) PDAC desmoplastic model was constructed using GelMA and HAMA, which provides benefits in terms of simulating both the main components (COL and HA) and the crosslinking of the extracellular matrix. We found that the 3D PDAC desmoplastic model upregulated the expression of the markers for stemness (NANOG and OCT4) and glycolysis (HK2 and GLUT2), and elevated the level of glycolysis, including increased glucose consumption and lactic acid production. Additionally, YAP1 played a crucial role in promoting glycolysis, which boosted stemness. Furthermore, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was employed to explore the underlying mechanisms associated with stemness within the 3D desmoplastic model. Subsequent KEGG pathway analysis indicated the activation of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, providing insights into the molecular processes at play. Using bioinformatics, qRT-PCR and western blot, we proposed that ITGAV-PI3K-AKT-YAP1 axis may account for the glycolysis mediated the stemness. Collectively, the 3D desmoplastic model may serve as a new platform for understanding the underlying mechanism by which the TME induces stemness.