title: KRAS: feeding pancreatic cancer proliferation.
abstract: Oncogenic KRAS mutation is the signature genetic event in the progression and growth of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), an almost universally fatal disease. Although it has been appreciated for some time that nearly 95% of PDAC harbor mutationally activated KRAS, to date no effective treatments that target this mutant protein have reached the clinic. A number of studies have shown that oncogenic KRAS plays a central role in controlling tumor metabolism by orchestrating multiple metabolic changes including stimulation of glucose uptake, differential channeling of glucose intermediates, reprogrammed glutamine metabolism, increased autophagy, and macropinocytosis. We review these recent findings and address how they may be applied to develop new PDAC treatments.
authors.affiliation: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Kirsten L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Division of Genomic Stability and DNA Repair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Mancias
authors.affiliation: Division of Genomic Stability and DNA Repair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Alec C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kimmelman
authors.affiliation: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: cjder@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Channing J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Der
mesh_terms: D001343:Autophagy; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D005973:Glutamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D010873:Pinocytosis; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D015398:Signal Transduction; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes; C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D005973:Glutamine; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins; D005947:Glucose
keywords: autophagy; glutaminolysis; glycolysis; macropinocytosis; metabolism