New molecular mechanisms in cholangiocarcinoma: signals triggering interleukin-6 production in tumor cells and KRAS co-opted epigenetic mediators driving metabolic reprogramming.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a deadly tumour lacking effective therapies. Clinically-relevant experimental models and analysis of human samples represent the cornerstone of mechanistic cancer research. Thioacetamide (TAA)-induced intrahepatic CCA (iCCA) in rats encompasses key histological and molecular features of human iCCA. Molecular studies in bile may capture carcinogenic alterations and therapeutic vulnerabilities in CCA. We performed bile proteomic and metabolomic analyses in this model leading us to identify unrecognized mechanisms relevant to human iCCA.