Effects of CXCL12 isoforms in a pancreatic pre-tumour cellular model:Microarray analysis

BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is the fourth leading cause of death among cancers,it is characterized by poor prognosis and strong chemoresistance.In the PDAC microenvironment,stromal cells release different extracellular components,including CXCL12.The CXCL12 is a chemokine promoting the communication between tumour and stromal cells.Six different splicing isoforms of CXCL12 are known(α,β,γ,δ,ε,θ)but their role in PDAC has not yet been characterized.AIM To investigate the specific role ofα,β,andγCXCL12 isoforms in PDAC onset.METHODS We used hTERT-HPNE E6/E7/KRasG12D(Human Pancreatic Nestin-Expressing)cell line as a pancreatic pre-tumour model and exposed it to theα,β,andγCXCL12 isoforms.The altered expression profiles were assessed by microarray analyses and confirmed by Real-Time polymerase chain reaction.The functional enrichment analyses have been performed by Enrichr tool to highlight Gene Ontology enriched terms.In addition,wound healing assays have been carried out to assess the phenotypic changes,in terms of migration ability,induced by theα,β,andγCXCL12 isoforms.RESULTS Microarray analysis of hTERT-HPNE cells treated with the three different CXCL12 isoforms highlighted that the expression of only a few genes was altered.Moreover,theαandβisoforms showed an alteration in expression of different genes,whereasγisoform affected the expression of genes also common withαandβisoforms.Theβisoform altered the expression of genes mainly involved in cell cycle regulation.In addition,all isoforms affected the expression of genes assay confirmed that CXCL12 enhanced the migration ability of hTERT-HPNE cells.Among the CXCL12 splicing isoforms,theγisoform showed higher induction of migration thanαandβisoforms.CONCLUSION Our data suggests an involvement and different roles of CXCL12 isoforms in PDAC onset.However,more investigations are needed to confirm these preliminary observations.