title: Antitumor activity of ALK1 in pancreatic carcinoma cells.
abstract: In this study, the authors investigated the expression of activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1) in pancreatic carcinoma and evaluated its potential role as a tumor suppressor in vitro and in vivo. Endogenous ALK1 expression was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in both pancreatic tumor tissue and peritumoral normal tissue from 6 patients and by RT-PCR in 8/12 established pancreatic cancer cell lines. Ectopic expression of a constitutively active (ca) ALK1 mutant in TGF-beta sensitive PANC-1 and COLO-357 cells augmented transcriptional activation of a Smad2/3 responsive reporter, and slowed down basal growth in vitro. Both effects were further enhanced by TGF-beta/ALK5 stimulation, suggesting largely independent nuclear Smad signaling by both type I receptors. Upon orthotopic transplantation of PANC-1-caALK1 into immunodeficient mice, tumor size was strongly reduced and was associated with a lower microvessel density in the PANC-1-caALK1-derived tumors. In vitro, this mutant efficiently blocked TGF-beta-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transdifferentiation and suppressed TGF-beta/ALK5-mediated activation of the p38 MAPK pathway. Mechanistically, caALK1 silenced MyD118, an immediate TGF-beta target gene whose protein product, GADD45beta, couples Smad signaling to p38 activation. These results show that ALK1 activation in pancreatic tumor cells is antioncogenic by inducing ALK5-independent growth inhibition and by blocking TGF-beta/ALK5-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transdifferentiation and, possibly, invasion and metastatic progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery and Thoracic Surgery, UKSH, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 7, 24105 Kiel, Germany. hungefroren@chirurgie-sh.de
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ungefroren
authors.forename: Bodo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schniewind
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Groth
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Susanne Sebens
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Müerköster
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kalthoff
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fändrich
mesh_terms: D030201:Activin Receptors, Type I / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D000818:Animals; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000378:metabolism; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000502:physiology*; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016513:Mice, SCID; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051785:Smad Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014162:Transfection; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000097642:GADD45 Proteins
chemical_list: D030201:Activin Receptors, Type I; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; D051785:Smad Proteins; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C439070:GADD45A protein, human; D000097642:GADD45 Proteins; C086470:GADD45B protein, human