Acetylcholine enhances HIF-1α signaling in pancreatic cancer cells under hypoxia through the nAChR-α7/PDPK1/YAP pathway.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have extensively addressed the potential role of the autonomic nervous system, which extensively innervates the pancreas, in the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) for cancer management has attracted significant research interest, in view of the finding that HIF-1 regulates the expression of various genes involved in tumor angiogenesis, metastasis, proliferation, chemoresistance, and radioresistance. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which the neurotransmitter acetylcholine enhances the expression of HIF-1α in pancreatic cancer cells in hypoxia. Under hypoxic conditions, acetylcholine induced a concentration-dependent increase in nAChR-α7-mediated HIF-1α expression in pancreatic cancer

SUBMITTER: Cho Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12837655 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature