Epigenetic reprogramming of primary pancreatic cancer cells counteracts their in vivo tumourigenicity

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) arises through accumulation of multiple genetic alterations. However, cancer cells also acquire and depend on cancer-specific epigenetic changes. To conclusively demonstrate the crucial relevance of the epigenetic programme for the tumourigenicity of the cancer cells, we used cellular reprogramming technology to reverse these epigenetic changes. We reprogrammed human PDAC cultures using three different techniques – (1) lentivirally via induction of Yamanaka Factors (OSKM), (2) the pluripotency-associated gene OCT4 and the microRNA mir-302, or (3) using episomal vectors as a safer alternative without genomic integration. We found that induction with episomal vectors was the most efficient method to reprogram primary human PDAC cultures as well as primary human fibroblasts that served as positive controls. Successful reprogramming was evidenced by immunostaining, alkaline phosphatase staining, and real-time PCR. Intriguingly, reprogramming of primary human PDAC cultures drastically reduced their in vivo tumourigenicity, which appeared to be driven by the cells’ enhanced differentiation and loss of stemness upon transplantation. Our study demonstrates that reprogrammed primary PDAC cultures are functionally distinct from parental PDAC cells resulting in drastically reduced tumourigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Thus, epigenetic alterations account at least in part for the tumourigenicity and aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer, supporting the notion that epigenetic modulators could be a suitable approach to improve the dismal outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer.