Down-regulation of deoxycytidine kinase enhances acquired resistance to gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer.

Background: The functional roles of deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) in acquired resistance to gemcitabine remain unknown in pancreatic cancer. Here, the functional involvement of dCK in gemcitabine-resistance of pancreatic cancer was investigated.

Materials And Methods: The levels of the dCK gene as well as other gemcitabine-related genes (hENT1, RRM1 and RRM2) were analyzed in gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells (GR cells) using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Midkine mRNA is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer.

Purpose: Midkine (MK) has been reported to be a possible molecular marker for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. We investigated the feasibility of quantitative analysis of MK mRNA by quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) as a promising tool for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Results: We found that pancreatic cancer tissues expressed significantly higher levels of MK mRNA than intraductal pancreatic mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and non-neoplastic pancreatic tissues (P < 0.

Increased expression of ADAM 9 and ADAM 15 mRNA in pancreatic cancer.

Background: A disintegrin and metalloproteases (ADAMs) comprise a multifunctional family of membrane-anchored proteins. ADAM 9 and ADAM 15 are involved in cell migration and invasion. Expression of ADAM 9 and ADAM 15 was reported to be altered in several types of cancer.

Twist, a novel oncogene, is upregulated in pancreatic cancer: clinical implication of Twist expression in pancreatic juice.

Despite evidence that Twist, a highly conserved basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, is a novel oncogene, there are no reports describing Twist expression in pancreatic cancer. Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) are precursor lesions of pancreatic cancer. To clarify involvement of Twist expression in pancreatic cancer, we used quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and examined Twist expression in pancreatic cancer, IPMN, and non-neoplastic pancreas using bulk tissues (11 cancers, 18 IPMNs, and 15 non-neoplastic pancreata), microdissected cells (cancer from 22 sections, IPMN from 19 sections, PanIN from 6 sections, and pancreatitis-affected epithelial cells from 14 sections), and pancreatic juice (16 from cancer, 28 from IPMN, and 17 from pancreatitis).

S100A11, a putative tumor suppressor gene, is overexpressed in pancreatic carcinogenesis.

Purpose: Recent microarray analyses revealed that expression of S100A11 is up-regulated in pancreatic cancer. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of S100A11 with pancreatic carcinogenesis.

Experimental Design: We measured S100A11 mRNA expression in various clinical samples related to pancreatic cancer and its precursor lesions, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) and pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia, by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR.