Gender-specific changes of the gut microbiome correlate with tumor development in murine models of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with a dismal outcome. To improve understanding of sequential microbiome changes during PDAC development we analyzed mouse models of pancreatic carcinogenesis (KC mice recapitulating pre-invasive PanIN formation, as well as KPC mice recapitulating invasive PDAC) during early tumor development and subsequent tumor progression. Diversity and community composition were analyzed depending on genotype, age, and gender. Both mouse models demonstrated concordant abundance changes of several genera influenced by one or more of the investigated factors. Abundance was significantly impacted by gender, highlighting the need to further elucidate the impact of gender differences. The findings underline the importance of the microbiome in PDAC development and indicate that microbiological screening of patients at risk and targeting the microbiome in PDAC development may be feasible in future.