Upregulation of ELP3 in acinar cells during acute pancreatitis is dispensable for homeostasis, inflammation, regeneration, and cancer initiation

Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, is a common gastrointestinal condition. While often acute and self-resolving, it can become chronic and promote pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the third deadliest cancer worldwide. Pancreatitis is accompanied by morphological and molecular changes, notably immune cell infiltration, fibrosis, and acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM). ELP3, the catalytic subunit of the Elongator complex, modifies wobble uridine tRNAs to optimize codon translation rates. It is critical to inflammatory processes and cancer in multiple organ systems, yet its role in the pancreas has not been investigated. This study aimed to investigate the expression and implication of ELP3 during pancreatitis induced in mice via repetitive caerulein injections. Acute pancreatitis was accompanied by increased expression of ELP3, which was mainly detected in pancreatic epithelial cells. To assess its function, we genetically inactivated Elp3 in pancreatic epithelial cells. Elp3 deficiency had no detectable effects on pancreas homeostasis, on the initiation and resolution of acute pancreatitis, on the development of chronic pancreatitis, or on pancreatitis-induced PDAC initiation. Our findings indicate that ELP3 is dispensable in pancreatic formation, inflammation and PDAC initiation. Future studies should explore its role in non-epithelial cells and its potential involvement in other PDAC hallmarks, such as therapy resistance.