Aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands drive pancreatic cancer initiation and progression through pro-tumorigenic T cell polarization

Here, we aimed to determine whether AhR ligands found in cigarette smoke, such as TCDD, promote pancreatic dysplasia and PDAC progression. We utilized an orthotopic mouse model of PDAC and collected pancreatic tissue from mice treated with either TCDD or a vehicle control and performed single-cell RNA sequencing to assess changes in the tumor microenvironment. Pancreata from orthotopic model of pancreatic tumorigenesis collected and subjected to single cell RNA sequencing.