title: Sonic hedgehog promotes desmoplasia in pancreatic cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the contribution of Sonic hedgehog (SHH) to pancreatic cancer progression.
  
  
  METHODS
  We expressed SHH in a transformed primary ductal-derived epithelial cell line from the human pancreas, transformed hTert-HPNE (T-HPNE), and evaluated the effects on tumor growth. We also directly inhibited the activity of SHH in vivo by administering a blocking antibody to mice challenged orthotopically with the Capan-2 pancreatic cancer cell line, which is known to express SHH and form moderately differentiated tumors in nude mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data provide evidence that expression of SHH influences tumor growth by contributing to the formation of desmoplasia in pancreatic cancer. We further show that SHH affects the differentiation and motility of human pancreatic stellate cells and fibroblasts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that SHH contributes to the formation of desmoplasia in pancreatic cancer, an important component of the tumor microenvironment.
authors.affiliation: Eppley Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986805 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Benjamin J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.forename: Tomofumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Eggers
authors.forename: Pankaj K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caffery
authors.forename: Michel M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ouellette
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hollingsworth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D053823:Hedgehog Proteins