HnRNPAB promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma extravasation and liver metastasis by stablizing MYC mRNA

Abstract Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein AB (hnRNPAB) is considered a cancer-promoting heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein in many cancers, but its function in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is poorly understood. HnRNPAB was highly expressed in PDAC tissues compared to normal pancreatic tissues, and high expression of hnRNPAB was associated with poor overall survival and recurrence-free survival in PDAC patients. HnRNPAB promotes migration and invasion of PDAC cells in vitro. In xenograft tumor mouse models, hnRNPAB deprivation significantly attenuated liver metastasis. HnRNPAB mRNA and protein levels are positively associated with MYC in PDAC cells. Mechanistically, hnRNPAB bound to MYC mRNA and prolonged its half-life of MYC mRNA. HnRNPAB induced PDAC cells to secret CXCL8 via MYC, which promoted neutrophils recruitment and facilitated tumor cells entrancing into the hepatic parenchyma. These findings point to a novel regulatory mechanism via which hnRNPAB promotes PDAC metastasis. Implications: Hnrnpab participates in the post-transcriptional regulation of the oncogene MYC by binding and stabilizing MYC mRNA, thereby promoting liver metastasis in PDAC.