Objective: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy with high mortality, and cancer cell stemness and related drug resistance are considered important contributors to its poor prognosis. The objective of this study was to identify regulatory targets associated with the maintenance of pancreatic cancer stemness.
Materials and methods: Pancreatic tumor samples were collected from patients at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, followed by immunofluorescence analysis. Pancreatic cancer cell lines with Interleukin-20 receptor subunit beta (IL20RB) overexpression and knockdown were established, and clonal formation, spheroid formation and side population cell analysis were conducted. The effects of IL20RB knockdown on the tumor-forming ability of pancreatic cancer cells and chemotherapy resistance in vivo were explored.
Results: IL20RB expression was significantly upregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues, and was correlated with unfavorable prognosis. The IL20RB receptor promotes stemness and chemoresistance in both in vitro and in vivo models of pancreatic cancer. Mechanistically, IL20RB enhances the stemness and chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer by promoting STAT3 phosphorylation, an effect that can be counteracted by a STAT3 phosphorylation inhibitors. Additionally, Interleukin-19 derived from the microenvironment is identified as the primary ligand for IL20RB in mediating these effects.
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that IL20RB plays a crucial role in promoting stemness in pancreatic cancer. This discovery provides a potential therapeutic target for this lethal disease.
Keywords: Chemotherapy resistance; IL20RB; Pancreatic cancer; Stemness.
© 2023. The Author(s).