title: Gemcitabine enhances cell invasion via activating HAb18G/CD147-EGFR-pSTAT3 signaling.
abstract: Pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal cancers, has very poor 5-year survival partly due to gemcitabine resistance. Recently, it was reported that chemotherapeutic agents may act as stressors to induce adaptive responses and to promote chemoresistance in cancer cells. During long-term drug treatment, the minority of cancer cells survive and acquire an epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype with increased chemo-resistance and metastasis. However, the short-term response of most cancer cells remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the short-term response of pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine stress and to explore the corresponding mechanism. Our results showed that gemcitabine treatment for 24 hours enhanced pancreatic cancer cell invasion. In gemcitabine-treated cells, HAb18G/CD147 was up-regulated; and HAb18G/CD147 down-regulation or inhibition attenuated gemcitabine-enhanced invasion. Mechanistically, HAb18G/CD147 promoted gemcitabine-enhanced invasion by activating the EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)-STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) signaling pathway. Inhibition of EGFR-STAT3 signaling counteracted gemcitabine-enhanced invasion, and which relied on HAb18G/CD147 levels. In pancreatic cancer tissues, EGFR was highly expressed and positively correlated with HAb18G/CD147. These data indicate that pancreatic cancer cells enhance cell invasion via activating HAb18G/CD147-EGFR-pSTAT3 signaling. Our findings suggest that inhibiting HAb18G/CD147 is a potential strategy for overcoming drug stress-associated resistance in pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Cell Engineering Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Bao-Qing
authors.initials: BQ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Cell Engineering Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Guang
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Cell Engineering Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Departments of Molecular Biosciences and Radiation Oncology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Cell Engineering Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Molecular Biosciences and Radiation Oncology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Cell Engineering Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Li
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Cell Engineering Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Cell Engineering Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, National Key Discipline of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Nan
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051926:Basigin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015536:Down-Regulation; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000187:drug effects*; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000187:drug effects; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D010179:Pancreas / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis; D015854:Up-Regulation; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; D000093542:Gemcitabine
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; C497886:BSG protein, human; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494086:STAT3 protein, human; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D051926:Basigin; C512478:EGFR protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D000093542:Gemcitabine
keywords: EGFR; HAb18G/CD147; gemcitabine; invasion; stress