Loss of ATM accelerates pancreatic cancer formation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with accumulation of particular oncogenic mutations and recent genetic sequencing studies have identified ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) mutations in PDAC cohorts. Here we report that conditional deletion of ATM in a mouse model of PDAC induces a greater number of proliferative precursor lesions coupled with a pronounced fibrotic reaction. ATM-targeted mice display altered TGFβ-superfamily signalling and enhanced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) coupled with shortened survival. Notably, our mouse model recapitulates many features of more aggressive human PDAC subtypes. Particularly, we report that low expression of ATM predicts EMT, a gene signature specific for Bmp4 signalling and poor prognosis in human PDAC. Our data suggest an intimate link between ATM expression and pancreatic cancer progression in mice and men. Mutations in the serine/threonine kinase ataxia teleangiectasia mutated (ATM) have been linked to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cohorts. Here Russell et al . show that loss of ATM induces a greater number of proliferative precursor lesions in a mouse model, recapitulating many features of human PDAC subtypes.