Claudin-1 is associated with invasive growth of human pancreatic cancer cells

Abstract

    Claudin is one of tight junction proteins which connect with the actin cytoskeleton and participate in the intracellular signaling. However, the significance of claudin in pancreatic cancer is understood not yet extensively. We examined the relationship between claudin-1 and invasion in PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 human pancreatic cancer cells, and investigated the functions of claudin-1 in invasive growth of pancreatic cancer cells. Claudin-1 knockdown by siRNA (claudin siRNA) affected the subcellular localization in the pancreatic cancer cells, and claudin-1 siRNA increased numbers of invasive pancreatic cancer PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells. Claudin-1 siRNA did not significantly affect expression levels of β-catenin, E-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin, Bcl-2, and Bax in PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cells. In addition, claudin-1 siRNA showed no significant change in the cell proliferation. We concluded that claudin-1 is significantly associated with invasive growth of human pancreatic cancer cells.