Trefoil factor 1 stimulates both pancreatic cancer and stellate cells and increases metastasis.

Objectives: Trefoil factor 1 (TFF1) is a stable secretory protein expressed widely in the gastrointestinal mucosa that is also expressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In the current study, we documented the extent and timing of TFF1 expression and investigated the effects of TFF1 on PDAC cells and stellate cells, the primary cells of the PDAC stroma.

Methods: Trefoil factor 1 expression in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines was analyzed using microarray, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and immunohistochemistry.