Pancreatic Disorders & Therapy
Open Access
ISSN: 2165-7092
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2165-7092
+44 1478 350008
Naomi Walsh
National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Ireland
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Pancreat Disord Ther
Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease. The lethality of pancreatic cancer is related to its rapid growth and tendency to invade adjacent organs and metastasize at an early stage. Identification of targets which play a role in the highly invasive phenotype of pancreatic cancer may help to better understand the biological behavior and the rapid progression of this cancer. A systematic evaluation of miRNA and mRNA expression profiling was performed in highly invasive and non-invasive sub-clones derived from the MiaPaCa-2 cell line. Differential expression between the highly invasive and non-invasive clones revealed 522 genes and 12 miRNAs altered (p<0.05; fold change>2). The integrated analysis of miRNA:mRNA found significant anti-correlation with 11 genes co-regulated by 8 miRs. Validation of the miRNA:mRNA interactions was performed in seven pancreatic cancer cell lines and corresponded with invasive capabilities. Furthermore, expression of 4 miRs (mir-9, mir-135b, mir-148a and let-7c) was independently established in 20 pancreatic cancer and adjacent normal tissue specimens. Functional miR-gene targeting was validated in primary cell lines (n=4) derived from pancreatic tissue and established pancreatic cancer cell lines. Let-7c was found to be down-regulated in highly invasive cell lines and lowly expressed in pancreatic tumour tissue. Let-7c negatively regulates SOX13 expression. SOX13 is a direct target of SHH signaling and RNAi knockdown of SOX13 reduced proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. The identification of key miRNA:mRNA gene interactions and networks provide potential diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for better treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients.
Naomi Walsh has completed her PhD in Dublin City University, Dublin Ireland, holds Master of Public Health (MPH) from University College Dublin, Ireland. She conducted her Post-doctoral research as a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, USA. She is currently a Health Research Board/Irish Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, DCU, Ireland. She has published extensively in the area of Pancreatic Cancer, and has 12 first author journal publications. She serves as a Committee Member for the Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR).
Email: naomi.walsh@dcu.ie