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PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
10
pubmed:dateCreated
2011-9-21
pubmed:abstractText
Glutamate has been implicated in tumorigenesis through activation of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors (AMPAR). However, the function of a glutamate-to-AMPAR signal in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has remained elusive. We now show that glutamate-mediated AMPA receptor activation increases invasion and migration of pancreatic cancer cells via activation of the classical MAPK pathway. Glutamate levels were increased in pancreatic cancer accompanied by downregulation of GluR subunits 1, 2, and 4. In pancreatic cancer precursor lesions, pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), GluR1 subunit levels were strikingly and step-wise increased but its expression was rare in PDAC. Pharmacological inhibition or RNAi-mediated suppression of GluR1 or GluR2 did not affect cancer cell growth but significantly decreased invasion. In a K-ras wildtype cell line, AMPA receptor activation enhanced K-ras activity and--further downstream--phosphorylation of p38 and of p44/42. Preemptive blockade of AMPA receptors in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer inhibited tumor cell settling. AMPA receptor activation thus not only activates MAPK signalling but also directly increases activity of K-ras. Glutamate might serve as a molecular switch that decreases the threshold of K-ras-induced oncogenic signalling and increases the chance of malignant transformation of pancreatic cancer precursor lesions.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
1097-0215
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright © 2011 UICC.
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:day
15
pubmed:volume
129
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
2349-59
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2011
pubmed:articleTitle
Glutamate increases pancreatic cancer cell invasion and migration via AMPA receptor activation and Kras-MAPK signaling.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Surgery, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't