Overexpression of Nodal induces a metastatic phenotype in pancreatic cancer cells via the Smad2/3 pathway.

ABSTRACT: Metastasis is the major cause for the high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer. Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) associated genes frequently correlate with malignant disease progression. Recent studies have demonstrated that the embryonic protein Nodal, which plays a critical role during embryonic development, is re-expressed in several types of tumors and promotes cancers progression. However, little is known about the role of Nodal in pancreatic cancer. Here, we show that Nodal expression is upregulated in human pancreatic cancer tissues. Moreover, Nodal expression levels correlate well with the grade of pancreatic cancer differentiation. In addition, we present clear evidence that Nodal induces signal transduction through the Smad2/3-dependent pathway in vitro. Furthermore, we show that

SUBMITTER: Duan W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4359309 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature