Our research project at a glance
Cancer cells communicate in the organ where they develop: this communication aim to prevent the host to kill them, but cancer cells also use these signals at their advantage to create a favorable environment towards their development. This communication “network” in a tumour called signal network is thus the result of their interaction but also an Achille’s heel that could be annihilated by targeted therapies.
We accumulated data demonstrating that primary tumour development and its development at distance (metastase) are directed by a family of molecules at the cross bridge of signaling networks, PI3Ks.
They are present in 8 forms, so called “isoforms”, both in cancer cells and in surrounding cells. We demonstrated that each of them have different actions.
Class I phosphoinositide-3-kinases (PI3Ks) (PI3Kα, β, γ, δ) are a central node of cell signalling and act as an integrator of multiple signals including oncogenes. The downstream PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway has a diverse array of functions, including the regulation of cellular survival, differentiation and stem cell-like properties, growth, proliferation, metabolism, migration and angiogenesis. It is one of the most frequently activated pathogenic signalling routes in Human cancers making it an important target for innovative anticancer drug development. Class II and III PI3K enzymes are critical regulators of intracellular vesicular trafficking and as such they display critical role in the regulation of endocytosis, exocytosis and autophagy. Their function in pancreatic physiopathology is unknown.
Our programs & team at a glance
Phd program – PI3K in health and disease – Arc project
Our laboratory belong to an European consortium dedicated to the study of PI3K signaling in health and disease. Our two PhD early stage researchers, Silvia Arcucci and Fernanda Ramos-Delgado, dissect the role of class I PI3Kβ and class II and III PI3K in pancreas physiology and disease. Please watch the video of presentation of the program here.
Labex TOUCAN – Studying resistance to signal-targeted therapies
Our laboratory is part of the Labex program, whereby we investigate through quantitative phosphoproteomics approaches the redundancy of signal networks controlled by each class I PI3K in a cancer setting.
RADIANCE program
In 1974, George Emile Palade’s research achievements on pancreatic acinar cell ultrastructure were recognized by a Nobel Prize: exocrine acinar cells are highly differentiated cells towards the production and the timely secretion of digestive enzymes. They represent a paradigm physiological cell model to study intracellular vesicular trafficking and protein secretion. It is starting to be accepted that autophagy, the intracellular degradation system, plays a key role in the physiopathology of chronic pancreatitis. Using innovative mouse models and single-cell approaches, RADIANCE will aim to demonstrate that the class III PI3K Vps34-regulated autophagic flux allows the regeneration of differentiated pancreatic exocrine cells, knowledge relevant for the curative treatment of chronic pancreatitis patients.
Last update december 2019
Objectives
Using innovative technologies, we study the roles of these PI3K isoforms in inter-cellular interactions so as to propose innovative therapies inhibiting PI3K-driven signalling networks, and thus the tumour progression. We apply our research to pancreatic cancer & ovarian cancer, two cancers with a poor pronostic.
Last update december 2019
Key words
- Inter- and Intra-cellular signalling
- Membrane lipids
- Genetically modified mouse models
- Pancreatic cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Cancerogenesis
- PI3K
Last update december 2019
Labels and networks
Grants and funders
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
- Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier
- Fondation ARC pour la recherche sur le cancer
- Fondation Toulouse Cancer Santé
- Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer
- Fondation de France
- Union européenne
- Institut d’Investigacio Biomèdica de Bellvitge
- Cancéropôle Grand Sud-Ouest
- Celgene
- National Cancer Agency
- REGEN-EVE support for the Occitan region and FEDER funds
Last update december 2019
Selected publications
2017 |
Acinar-to-Ductal Metaplasia Induced by Transforming Growth Factor Beta Facilitates KRASG12D-driven Pancreatic Tumorigenesis Journal Article Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol, 4 (2), pp. 263-282, 2017, ISSN: 2352-345X (Print) 2352-345X (Linking). |
Targeting PI3K Signaling in Combination Cancer Therapy Journal Article Trends Cancer, 3 (6), pp. 454-469, 2017, ISSN: 2405-8025 (Electronic) 2405-8025 (Linking). |
2016 |
Nucleolin Promotes Heat Shock-Associated Translation of VEGF-D to Promote Tumor Lymphangiogenesis Journal Article Cancer Res, 76 (15), pp. 4394-405, 2016, ISSN: 1538-7445 (Electronic) 0008-5472 (Linking). |
2015 |
Implication of PI3K/Akt pathway in pancreatic cancer: When PI3K isoforms matter? Journal Article Adv Biol Regul, 59 , pp. 19-35, 2015, ISSN: 2212-4934 (Electronic) 2212-4926 (Linking). |
Novel Role for p110beta PI 3-Kinase in Male Fertility through Regulation of Androgen Receptor Activity in Sertoli Cells Journal Article PLoS Genet, 11 (7), pp. e1005304, 2015, ISSN: 1553-7404 (Electronic) 1553-7390 (Linking). |
Loss of p27Kip(1) promotes metaplasia in the pancreas via the regulation of Sox9 expression Journal Article Oncotarget, 6 (34), pp. 35880-92, 2015, ISSN: 1949-2553 (Electronic) 1949-2553 (Linking). |
Pancreatic preneoplastic lesions plasma signatures and biomarkers based on proteome profiling of mouse models Journal Article Br J Cancer, 113 (11), pp. 1590-8, 2015, ISSN: 1532-1827 (Electronic) 0007-0920 (Linking). |
2014 |
Pancreatic cell plasticity and cancer initiation induced by oncogenic Kras is completely dependent on wild-type PI 3-kinase p110alpha Journal Article Genes Dev, 28 (23), pp. 2621-35, 2014, ISSN: 1549-5477 (Electronic) 0890-9369 (Linking). |
Hypoxia induces VEGF-C expression in metastatic tumor cells via a HIF-1alpha-independent translation-mediated mechanism Journal Article Cell Rep, 6 (1), pp. 155-67, 2014, ISSN: 2211-1247 (Electronic). |
2010 |
The emerging mechanisms of isoform-specific PI3K signalling Journal Article Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol, 11 (5), pp. 329-41, 2010, ISSN: 1471-0080 (Electronic) 1471-0072 (Linking). |