Lactate-treated cancer-associated fibroblasts of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells are known for enhanced glycolysis, which leads accumulation of lactate in a PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME). Evidence suggests that the interaction between the TME and tumor cells mediated by lactate can facilitate the reprogramming of stromal cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). We performed transcriptomic analysis of CAFs derived from a PDAC patient tumor sample to explore the genes changed in CAFs by lactate stimulation. We found that the expression of genes related to immunosuppression, such as IL6 and phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class F (PIGF), was significantly upregulated in lactate-stimulated CAFs compared to the control.