PDX1 and cancer: To explore the role of muscle vascular endothelial function in cancer cachexia, we used transgenic KPC (LSL-KrasG12D/+:LSL-Trp53R172H/R172H:Pdx1-Cre) mice13,14 that spontaneously develop fibrotic pancreatic adenocarcinoma and cachexia at approximately 4–6 months of age.