Figure 6. Patient-derived pancreatic cancer cells respond to leflunomide in a Kras-dependent fashion.
(A) Kras WT patient samples of PDAC exhibited elongated mitochondria similar to HPNE cells, while Kras mutant patient samples appeared punctate and fragmented. The mitochondria morphology from each genotype was quantified; n = 100–200. Quantification for intermediate and tubular mitochondrial morphology can be found in Supplemental Figure 6, B and C. (B) Leflunomide treatment on Kras mutant MDA-PATC53 cell line induces mitochondrial fusion, with quantification; n = 100–200 cells. *P = 0.02 for tubular, **P = 0.002 for fragmented by unpaired t test. (C) Mito Stress assay of MDA-PATC53 cells treated with 50 μM leflunomide, with quantification in D. *P = 0.04 by unpaired t test for basal and ATP production. Original magnification, ×60; scale bars: 10 μm. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. (E) Leflunomide treatment does not affect morphology in Kras WT MDA-PATC153 cell line, with quantification; n = 100–200 cells. (F) Mito Stress assay of MDA-PATC153 cells treated with 50 μM leflunomide, with quantification in G. Statistical analysis by unpaired t test. Data are presented as mean ± SEM.