The PRKD1 promoter is a target of the KRas-NF-κB pathway in pancreatic cancer.

Increased expression of PRKD1 and its gene product protein kinase D1( PKD1) are linked to oncogenicsignaling in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, but a direct functional relationship to oncogenic KRashas not been established so far. We here describe the PRKD1 gene promoter as a target for oncogenic KRassignaling. We demonstrate that KRas-induced activation of the canonical NF-κBpathway is one mechanism of how PRKD1 expression is increased and identify the binding sites for NF-κBin the PRKD1 promoter. Altogether, these results describe a novel mechanism governing PRKD1 gene expression in PDA and provide a functional link between oncogenic KRas, NF-κBand expression of PRKD1.