E-cadherin might be a stage-dependent modulator in aggressiveness in pancreatic cancer cells

Authors: ESRA AYDEMİR ÇOBAN, DİDEM TECİMEL, EZGİ KAŞIKCI, ÖMER FARUK BAYRAK, FİKRETTİN ŞAHİN

Abstract: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) pathology is known for its uncontrollable progress due to highly invasive characteristics and refractory behavior against existing chemotherapies. The aberrant expression of CDH1 (expresses the protein E-cadherin) is associated with increased overall survival in various cancers, however, E-cadherin expression in PDAC progression has remained elusive. We investigated the impact of exogenously elevated E-cadherin levels on the tumorigenicity of transduced low grade and metastatic PDAC cell lines, Panc-1 and AsPC-1, respectively. Constitutive expression of E-cadherin promoted a more hybrid E/M state in AsPC-1 cells, while it was associated with the acquisition of a more epithelial-like state in Panc1 cells. Our study suggests that E-cadherin may play differential roles in determining the metastatic characteristics of primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer cells.

Keywords: Panc-1, AsPC1, E-cadherin, CRISPR/dCas9 activation, pancreas cancer

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