Pancreatic Cell News Volume 5.36 | Sep 23 2014

Placental Insufficiency Decreases Pancreatic Vascularity and Disrupts Hepatocyte Growth Factor Signaling in the Pancreatic Islet Endothelial Cell in Fetal Sheep
Investigators determined the impact of intrauterine growth restriction on pancreatic vascularity and paracrine signaling between the pancreatic islet endothelial cell and β-cell. [Diabetes] Abstract

Loss of TRB3 Alters Dynamics of MLK3-JNK Signaling and Inhibits Cytokine-Activated Pancreatic Beta Cell Death
Researchers show that genetic deletion of TRB3 results in a basal activation of AKT, preserves mitochondrial integrity, and confers resistance to cytokine-induced pancreatic beta cell death. Mechanistically, they found that TRB3 stabilizes MLK3, most likely by suppressing AKT-directed phosphorylation, ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of MLK3. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article

In Vitro Reprogramming of Pancreatic Alpha Cells towards a Beta Cell Phenotype following Ectopic HNF4α Expression
Scientists investigated whether hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4α), a transcription factor essential for a normal beta cell phenotype, could induce the reprogramming of alpha cells towards potential beta cells. [Mol Cell Endocrinol] Abstract

Epiplakin Deficiency Aggravates Murine Caerulein-Induced Acute Pancreatitis and Favors the Formation of Acinar Keratin Granules
Scientists analyzed epiplakin’s expression in healthy and inflamed pancreatic tissue and compared wild-type and epiplakin-deficient mice during caerulein-induced acute pancreatitis. They found that epiplakin was expressed primarily in ductal cells of the pancreas and colocalized with apicolateral keratin bundles in murine pancreatic acinar cells. [PLoS One] Full Article

PANCREATIC CANCER

CD166/ALCAM Expression Is Characteristic of Tumorigenicity and Invasive and Migratory Activities of Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Researchers aimed to clarify the role and significance of CD166 expression in pancreatic cancer. The differences between isolated CD166⁺ and CD166^– pancreatic cancer cells were analyzed by invasion and migration assays, and in mouse xenograft models. [PLoS One] Full Article

Arginine Deiminase Augments the Chemosensitivity of Argininosuccinate Synthetase-Deficient Pancreatic Cancer Cells to Gemcitabine via Inhibition of NF-KappaB Signaling
Investigators evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of arginine deiminase in combination with gemcitabine, the first line chemotherapeutic drug for patients with pancreatic cancer, and identified the mechanisms associated with its anticancer effects. [BMC Cancer] Abstract | Full Article

Immunohistochemical Analysis of Cancer Stem Cell Markers in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Patients after Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy
Scientists examined the sequential changes in cancer stem cell marker expressions after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and the impact of these changes on the prognosis. [BMC Cancer] Abstract | Full Article

Neurotrophic Factor Artemin Promotes Invasiveness and Neurotrophic Function of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma In Vivo and In Vitro
Researchers investigated the effect of the neurotrophic factor Artemin on neuroplasticity and perineural invasion of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Artemin overexpression and RNA interference in the pancreatic cancer cell lines were performed to evaluate the effects of Artemin on cell proliferation, invasion, and neurotrophic activity in vitro and in nude orthotopic transplantation tumor models. [Pancreas] Abstract | Download Full Article

Cytotoxicity of Gemcitabine Enhanced by Polyphenolics from Aronia melanocarpa in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line AsPC-1
Extending work with brain tumors, the hypothesis that micronutrients may usefully augment anticancer regimens, chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) extract was tested to establish whether it has pro-apoptotic effects in AsPC-1, an established human pancreatic cell line, and whether it potentiates cytotoxicity in combination with gemcitabine. [J Clin Pathol] Full Article | Press Release

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SWOG to Resume Clinical Trial of Halozyme’s PEGPH20 in Combination with Modified FOLFIRINOX for Advanced Pancreatic Cancer
Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has removed the clinical hold on patient enrollment and dosing of PEGPH20 (PEGylated recombinant human hyaluronidase) in SWOG’s ongoing Phase Ib/II clinical trial. [Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

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NEW Postdoctoral Scientist – Differentiation of Pancreatic Beta-Cells (Medical Research Council)

Hepato-Pancreatic-Biliary Surgical Oncologist (European Institute of Oncology)

Research Assistant/Laboratory Manager – Differentiation of Pancreatic Insulin-Producing Beta-Cells (Medical Research Council)

Postdoctoral Position – Role of p38MAPK in the Development of Obesity and Obesity-Induced Diseases (Spanish National Cardiovascular Research Center [CNIC])

Research Officer / Postdoctoral Fellow – Beta Cell Regeneration (Garvan Institute of Medical Research)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer (Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School)

Postdoctoral Trainee – Pancreatic Cancer (UT Southwestern Medical Center)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology Endoderm Lineages (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Media Development, High Throughput Screening (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Cell Culture Support Products (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Scientist – Immunology/Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Associate – Cell Separation (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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