IL15RA-STAT3-GPX4/ACSL3 signaling leads to ferroptosis resistance in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly malignant disease with a poor prognosis, and the lack of effective treatment methods accounts for its high mortality. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) in the tumor microenvironment play an important role in the development of PDAC. Previous studies have reported that patients with PDAC are more vulnerable to ferroptosis inducers. To investigate the relationship between PSCs and pancreatic cancer cells, a coculture system is used to further reveal the influence of PSCs on ferroptosis resistance in PDAC using many in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our results show that PSCs promote ferroptosis resistance in pancreatic cancer cells. We further demonstrate that IL15 secretion by PSCs activates the IL15RA-STAT3-GPX4/ACSL3 axis. The simultaneous upregulation of GPX4 and ACSL3 prevents lipid peroxidation and ultimately protects pancreatic cancer cells from ferroptosis both in vitro and in vivo. This study demonstrates that PSCs protect pancreatic cancer cells in a paracrine manner and may indicate a novel strategy for the treatment of PDAC.