Development of novel therapies that focus on autophagy-induced cancer cell substrate clearance function

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25670587
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Digestive surgery
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: NAGAI Eishi 九州大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (30264021)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): NAKATA Kohei 九州大学, 医学研究院, 共同研究員 (30419569) ; MIYASAKA Yoshihiro 九州大学, 医学研究院, 助教 (40507795)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 癌関連線維芽細胞 / 細胞外基質クリアランス / 上皮間葉移行 / オートファジー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

During invasion process of pancreatic cancer, we focused on extracellular matrix clearance by cancer-associated fibroblasts and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cancer cells, and we thought pancreatic cancer cells were also involved in matrix remodeling. So we studied the relationship between extracellular matrix clearance and autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells. Autophagy is a metabolic mechanism degrades self components,
Autophagy of pancreatic cancer cells in human sample is enhanced, so it could be a therapeutic target. Invasion ability of pancreatic cancer cells was suppressed by autophagy inhibitor 3-MA, and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells was also inhibited by the knock down of autophagy-related gene Atg7 using shRNA. Furthermore we reported that the downregulation of protein of AGR2 in pancreatic cancer is a useful prognostic marker induced by epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Free Research Field

医歯薬学