Proteogenomic Characterization of Human Pancreatic Cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with poor prognosis, and the situation has not improved despite extensive clinical and scientific research. Here, we report proteogenomic analysis of PDAC. Mutation-phosphorylation correlations identified signaling pathways associated with somatic mutations in significantly mutated genes. mRNA-protein abundance correlations revealed oncogene and tumor suppressor candidates correlating with patient survival. Integrated clustering of mRNA, protein, and phosphorylation data identified six PDAC subtypes (Sub1-6), which were indistinguishable using mRNA data alone. mRNA and protein signatures defining Sub1-6 revealed that Sub1, Sub2-4, and Sub5-6 were precursor, invasive, and immunogenic tumors, respectively. In the Sub2-4 group, proliferation was highest for Sub4; Sub6 in the Sub5-6 group had an increased pancreatic secretion capacity. Orthotopic mouse PDAC models revealed higher numbers of pro-tumorigenic immune cells in Sub4 tumors, inhibiting T cell proliferation. Our proteogenomic analysis provides therapeutic targets and improves understanding of cancer biology and patient stratification in PDAC.

Keywords: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, proteogenomics, mutation-phosphorylation correlation, mRNA-protein abundance correlation, and cancer subtypes.