Sorcin can trigger pancreatic cancer-associated new-onset diabetes through the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as serpin E1 and CCL5.

Abstract

A rise in blood glucose is an early warning sign of underlying pancreatic cancer (PC) and may be an indicator of genetic events in PC progression. However, there is still a lack of mechanistic research on pancreatic cancer-associated new-onset diabetes (PCAND). In the present study, we identified a gene SRI, which possesses a SNP with the potential to distinguish PCAND and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), by machine learning on the basis of the UK Biobank database. In vitro and in vivo, sorcin overexpression induced pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. Sorcin can form a positive feedback loop with STAT3 to increase the transcription of serpin E1 and CCL5, which may directly induce β-cell dysfunction. In 88 biopsies, the expression of sorcin was elevated in PC tissues, especially in PCAND samples. Furthermore, plasma serpin E1 levels are higher in peripheral blood samples from PCAND patients than in those from T2DM patients. In conclusion, sorcin may be the key driver in PCAND, and further study on the sorcin-STAT3-serpin E1/CCL5 signaling axis may help us better understand the pathogenesis of PCAND and identify potential biomarkers.