Differential modulation of cellular phenotype and drug sensitivity by extracellular matrix proteins in primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is reported to be the third highest cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. PDAC is known for its high proportion of stroma, which accounts for 90% of the tumor mass. The stroma is made up of extracellular matrix (ECM) and nonmalignant cells such as inflammatory cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and lymphatic and blood vessels. Here, we decoupled the effects of the ECM on PDAC cell lines by culturing cells on surfaces coated with different ECM proteins. Our data show that the primary tumor-derived cell lines have different morphology depending on the ECM proteins on which they are cultured, while metastatic lesion-derived PDAC lines' morphology does not change with respect to the different ECM proteins. Similarly, ECM proteins modulate the proliferation rate and the gemcitabine sensitivity of the primary tumor PDAC cell lines, but not the metastatic PDAC lines. Lastly, transcriptomics analysis of the primary tumor PDAC cells cultured on different ECM proteins reveals the regulation of various pathways, such as cell cycle, cell-adhesion molecules, and focal adhesion, including the regulation of several integrin genes that are essential for ECM recognition.