Survival regulation in pancreatic cancer cells by c-Jun

  • Authors:
    • Yoshiyuki Okutomi
    • Yuji Shino
    • Fumitake Komoda
    • Tatsuya Hirano
    • Takeshi Ishihara
    • Taketo Yamaguchi
    • Hiromitsu Saisho
    • Hiroshi Shirasawa
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: October 1, 2003     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.23.4.1127
  • Pages: 1127-1134
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Abstract

Over 90% of human pancreatic cancers harbor an activating point mutation in the K-ras gene at codon 12. However, it is not clear whether all downstream K-ras are activated and which downstream contributes to the cell survival and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. MEK kinase 1 (MEKK1)-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-c-Jun pathway has an important role in cell proliferation, survival and apoptosis in various cells. We previously demonstrated that the dominant negative form of MEKK1 (DN-MEKK) inhibits the survival of human pancreatic cancer cell lines. In this study we investigated whether JNK-c-Jun, the downstream pathway of DN-MEKK, affects the survival of human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Colony formation assays indicated that c-Jun failed to inhibit the survival of pancreatic cancer cells, whereas c-Jun remarkably inhibited the cell survival of non-pancreatic cancer cells. Reporter gene assays using Gal4-c-Jun and gel retardation assays indicated that c-Jun functions were activated in growing pancreatic cancer cells. These results revealed that c-Jun activation does not prevent the cell survival of pancreatic cancer cells in contrast to non-pancreatic cancer cells. It appears that MEKK1-JNK-c-Jun pathway fails to act as a negative regulator for the cell survival of pancreatic cancer cells. Greater understanding of these mechanisms may be helpful in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

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October 2003
Volume 23 Issue 4

Print ISSN: 1019-6439
Online ISSN:1791-2423

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Spandidos Publications style
Okutomi Y, Shino Y, Komoda F, Hirano T, Ishihara T, Yamaguchi T, Saisho H and Shirasawa H: Survival regulation in pancreatic cancer cells by c-Jun. Int J Oncol 23: 1127-1134, 2003
APA
Okutomi, Y., Shino, Y., Komoda, F., Hirano, T., Ishihara, T., Yamaguchi, T. ... Shirasawa, H. (2003). Survival regulation in pancreatic cancer cells by c-Jun. International Journal of Oncology, 23, 1127-1134. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.23.4.1127
MLA
Okutomi, Y., Shino, Y., Komoda, F., Hirano, T., Ishihara, T., Yamaguchi, T., Saisho, H., Shirasawa, H."Survival regulation in pancreatic cancer cells by c-Jun". International Journal of Oncology 23.4 (2003): 1127-1134.
Chicago
Okutomi, Y., Shino, Y., Komoda, F., Hirano, T., Ishihara, T., Yamaguchi, T., Saisho, H., Shirasawa, H."Survival regulation in pancreatic cancer cells by c-Jun". International Journal of Oncology 23, no. 4 (2003): 1127-1134. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.23.4.1127