The inhibition of SRC family kinase suppresses pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.

Objectives: Src is considered a rising therapeutic target for the treatment of solid tumors, and Src family kinases (SFKs) participate in cancer cell proliferation and survival. The role of SFK suppression was investigated in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells.

Methods: Knockdown of the SFKs in pancreatic cancer cells was achieved by transfecting small interfering RNAs, and its effects were investigated using proliferation, wound, and invasion assays.

Results: The SFK inhibitors suppressed proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest in pancreatic cancer cells. The SFK messenger RNA profiles showed that Yes1, Lyn, Fyn, Frk, Hck, and Src were expressed. Specific small interfering RNA transfection suppressed the messenger RNA expressions of Yes1, Lyn, Fyn, Frk, and Src, and the knockdown suppressed cell proliferation by 16.7% to 47.3% in PANC-1 cells. Knockdown of any of these 5 SFKs suppressed proliferation in other pancreatic cancer cell lines by 3.0% to 40.5%. The knockdowns significantly reduced pancreatic cancer cell migration by 24.9% to 66.7% and completely inhibited invasion.

Conclusions: These results suggest that the knockdown of Yes1, Lyn, Fyn, Frk, or Src reduce human pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and that SFKs should be viewed as critical therapeutic targets of pancreatic cancer.