Transforming growth factor β receptor signaling restrains growth of pancreatic carcinoma cells

• DOI: 10.1007/s13277-015-3466-3
• Publication Date: 2015-05-01T18:15:11Z
• Authors: Zhiming Zhao; Hao Xi; Dabin Xu; Chenggang Li
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II; Apoptosis; Mice, SCID; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Smad7 Protein; 3. Good health; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Mice, Inbred NOD; Transforming Growth Factor beta; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Animals; Humans; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal; Cell Proliferation

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is extremely malignant. Efficient control of cancer growth may substantially improve the survival of PDAC patients. However, no efficient treatments are so far available. Here, we inhibited transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) receptor signaling by overexpression of a key inhibitor of this pathway, SMAD7, in the mouse pancreas, using a recently developed intraductal infusion method. Overexpression of SMAD7 significantly increased growth of both implanted PDAC and PDAC by K-ras modification. Our data thus suggest that TGFβ receptor signaling restrains growth of PDAC, and modulation of TGFβ receptor signaling may be an effective treatment for PDAC.