CXCL12-CXCR4 Promotes Proliferation and Invasion of Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Objective: CXCL12 exerts a wide variety of chemotactic effects on cells. Evidence indicates that CXCL12,in conjunction with its receptor, CXCR4, promotes invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. Our objective was toexplore whether the CXCL12-CXCR4 biological axis might influence biological behavior of pancreatic cancercells.
Methods: Miapaca-2 human pancreatic cancer cells were cultured under three different conditions:normal medium (control), medium + recombinant CXCL12 (CXCL12 group), or medium + CXCR4-inhibitorAMD3100 (AMD3100 group). RT-PCR was applied to detect mRNA expression levels of CXCL12, CXCR4, matrixmetalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), MMP-9, and human urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA). Additionally, cellproliferation and invasion were performed using CCK-8 colorimetry and transwell invasion assays, respectively.
Results: CXCL12 was not expressed in Miapaca-2 cells, but CXCR4 was detected, indicating that these cells arecapable of receiving signals from CXCL12. Expression of extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes MMP-2, MMP-9, and uPA was upregulated in cells exposed to exogenous CXCL12 (P<0.05). Additionally, both proliferationand invasion of pancreatic cancer cells were enhanced in the presence of exogenous CXCL12, but AMD3100intervention effectively inhibited these processes (P<0.05).
Conclusions: The CXCL12-CXCR4 biological axisplays an important role in promoting proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells.