Disruption of Small GTPase Rab7 Exacerbates the Severity of Acute Pancreatitis in Experimental Mouse Models

Although aberrations of intracellular vesicle transport systems towards lysosomes including autophagy and endocytosis are involved in the onset and progression of acute pancreatitis, the molecular mechanisms underlying such aberrations remain unclear. The pathways of autophagy and endocytosis are closely related, and Rab7 plays crucial roles in both. In this study, we analyzed the function of Rab7 in acute pancreatitis using pancreas-specific Rab7 knockout (Rab7(Δpan)) mice. In Rab7(Δpan) pancreatic acinar cells, the maturation steps of both endosomes and autophagosomes were deteriorated, and the lysosomal functions were affected. In experimental models of acute pancreatitis, the histopathological severity, serum amylase concentration and intra-pancreatic trypsin activity were significantly higher in Rab7(Δpan) mice than in wild-type mice. Furthermore, the autophagy process was blocked in Rab7(Δpan) pancreas compared with wild-type mice. In addition, larger autophagic vacuoles that colocalize with early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1) but not with lysosomal-associated membrane protein (LAMP)-1 were much more frequently formed in Rab7(Δpan) pancreatic acinar cells. Accordingly, Rab7 deficiency exacerbates the severity of acute pancreatitis by impairing the autophagic and endocytic pathways toward lysosomes.