Drug Resistance Analysis of Pancreatic Cancer Based on Universally Differentially Expressed Genes

The high heterogeneity between patients can complicate the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here, we explored the association of universally differentially expressed genes (UDEGs) with resistance to chemotherapy and immunotherapy in the context of pancreatic cancer. In this work, sixteen up-regulated and three down-regulated genes that were dysregulated in more than 85% of 102 paired and 5% of 521 unpaired PDAC samples were identified and defined as UDEGs. A single-cell level analysis further validated the high expression levels of the up-UDEGs and the low levels of the down-UDEGs in cancer-related ductal cells, which could represent the malignant changes seen in pancreatic cancer. Based on a drug sensitivity analysis, we found that ANLN, GPRC5A and SERPINB5 are closely related to the resistance mechanism of PDAC, and their high expression predicted worse survival for PDAC patients. This suggests that targeting these genes could be a potential way to reduce drug resistance and improve survival. Based on the immune infiltration analysis, the abnormal expression of the UDEGs was found to be related to the formation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In conclusion, these UDEGs are common features of PDAC and could be involved in the resistance of pancreatic cancer and might serve as novel drug targets to guide research into drug repurposing.