Lactylation-driven NSUN2-mediated RNA m5C modification promotes perineural invasion in pancreatic cancer [mRNA-seq]

Lactylation, a metabolic stress-induced modification, plays a pivotal role in regulating diverse biological processes. Its involvement in perineural invasion (PNI) of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), however, has not been clearly defined. Our study demonstrates that patients with severe PNI exhibit significantly elevated levels of global lactylation and lactate, correlating with poorer prognosis. We identified NSUN2, a methyltransferase, as a crucial mediator of lactylation-driven PNI. Inhibition of lactylation or NSUN2 markedly reduced the neural infiltration capabilities of tumor cells. Mechanistically, lactate accumulation leads to the lactylation of NSUN2 at lysine 692 (K692), subsequently inhibiting its ubiquitination and degradation. lactylation of NSUN2 mediated m5C modification on CDCP1 and STC11 mRNA, enhanced their mRNA stability. Consistently, analyses using a KPC mouse model demonstrated that the lactylation of NSUN2/CDCP1/STC11 axis enhanced PNI through m5C modification. Our findings reveal that lactylation-driven NSUN2-mediated RNA m5C modification plays a pivotal role in promoting PNI and suggest that targeting NSUN2 could offer a promising therapeutic strategy for PDAC.