ROCK signaling promotes collagen remodeling to facilitate invasive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumor cell growth

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a major cause of cancer death; identifying PDAC enablers may reveal potential therapeutic targets. Expression of the actomyosin regulatory ROCK1 and ROCK2 kinases increased with tumor progression in human and mouse pancreatic tumors, while elevated ROCK1/ROCK2 expression in human patients, or conditional ROCK2 activation in a Kras G12D / p53 R172H mouse PDAC model, was associated with reduced survival. Conditional ROCK1 or ROCK2 activation promoted invasive growth of mouse PDAC cells into three‐dimensional collagen matrices by increasing matrix remodeling activities. RNA sequencing revealed a coordinated program of ROCK‐induced genes that facilitate extracellular matrix remodeling, with greatest fold‐changes for matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) Mmp10 and Mmp13 . MMP inhibition not only decreased collagen degradation and invasion, but also reduced proliferation in three‐dimensional contexts. Treatment of Kras G12D / p53 R172H PDAC mice with a ROCK inhibitor prolonged survival, which was associated with increased tumor‐associated collagen. These findings reveal an ancillary role for increased ROCK signaling in pancreatic cancer progression to promote extracellular matrix remodeling that facilitates proliferation and invasive tumor growth. Synopsis ROCK signaling contributes to the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC): Increased production and release of collagenases induce remodeling of the extracellular matrix to facilitate invasive tumor cell growth. Advanced pancreatic tumor stage and reduced patient survival correlate with elevated ROCK expression. Conditional ROCK activation decreased survival in a mouse PDAC model. ROCK signaling promoted invasion and proliferation of PDAC cells. ROCK activation induced matrix metalloproteinase expression and release via microvesicles to enable collagen remodeling. ROCK inhibitor treatment increased the survival time of PDAC mice. Graphical Abstract ROCK signaling contributes to the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC): Increased production and release of collagenases induce remodeling of the extracellular matrix to facilitate invasive tumor cell growth.