title: Role of fibrillar Tenascin-C in metastatic pancreatic cancer.
abstract: Interaction of cancer cells with stroma cells facilitates tumor progression by rebuilding the existing extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment. In the tumor, upregulation of Tenascin-C (Tn-C) expression potentially can alter tumor behavior. However, the molecular mechanisms by which tumor-stroma interactions affect the tumor microenvironment have not been well characterized. In this study, we analyzed the expression of fibrillar Tn-C (fTn-C) in human metastatic pancreatic cancers. After co-culturing two pancreatic cancer cell lines, highly metastatic BxPc3 cells and non-metastatic PaCa2 cells, with stromal fibroblasts (SF), we evaluated the roles of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) activation and SF in promoting Tn-C organization. Next, we evaluated whether fibrillar Tn-C promotes pancreatic cancer cell movement using cell adhesion and migration assays. Finally, we observed the relationship between MMP-2 activation and fTn-C formation in vivo by injecting the BxPc3 and PaCa2 cells into nude mice. We found that fTn-C was increased in metastatic pancreatic cancer. The fTn-C expression correlated with MMP-2 activity. In the in vitro co-culture, fTn-C organization was found only in BxPc3/SF co-cultures, and required the participation of active MMP-2. The fTn-C reduced cell adhesion and promote pancreatic cancer cell migration by decreasing the adhesive interactions between integrin alpha6beta1 and the ECM. The in vivo tumorigenesis analysis showed that the fTn-C formation and active MMP-2 were significantly increased in the BxPc3 tumors, compared to the PaCa2 tumors. These results demonstrate that Tn-C deposition into the ECM requires participation of active MMP-2 and SF. The deposited Tn-C could promote pancreatic cancer progression.
authors.affiliation: Hepatobiliary Surgery Institute, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhiyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Dajiang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhihua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Jiahong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Xiaowu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D039121:Integrin alpha6beta1 / Q000378:metabolism; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D019063:Tenascin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D039121:Integrin alpha6beta1; D019063:Tenascin; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2