Identifying the leading cell for the invasion of pancreatic cancer

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24390318
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Digestive surgery
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: TANAKA Masao 九州大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (30163570)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NAGAI Eishi 九州大学, 医学研究院, 准教授 (30264021) ; OHTSUKA Takao 九州大学, 大学病院, 助教 (20372766) ; EGAMI Takuya 九州大学, 医学研究院, 共同研究員 (40507787) ; MORIYAMA Taiki 九州大学, 大学病院, 助教 (70586859) ; TOMINAGA Yohei 九州大学, 医学研究院, 共同研究員 (90304823) ; OHUCHIDA Kenoki 九州大学, 大学病院, 助教 (20452708) ; SHIRAHANE Kengo 九州大学, 医学研究院, 共同研究員 (10529803)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 膵癌 / 浸潤 / 上皮間葉移行 / 膵星細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated the ability of collagen internalization in pancreatic stellate cells which play a central role in pancreatic cancer desmoplasia to identify the cell which leads the cancer cell invasion. Pancreatic stellate cells had a strong ability for collagen internalization compared to the cancer cells. 98.5% of stellate cells internalized collagen beads while the proportion of cancer cells were 14.4% and 36.2%. The ability of collagen internalization was increased by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and decreased when the expression of Endo180, a collagen uptake receptor, was suppressed by RNA interference. Leading cell was the pancreatic stellate cell and cancer cells invaded behind the stellate cell when they were cocultured in the three-dimensional collagen gel culture system. In conclusion, our data suggested that pancreatic stellate cell led the invasion of pancreatic cancer cells.

Free Research Field

医歯薬学