SOX9 Protein in Pancreatic Cancer Regulates Multiple Cellular Networks in a Cell-Specific Manner
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. It is hypothesized that the high level of pancreatic developmental factor SOX9 is necessary for the formation and maintenance of tumor phenotypes. Here authors showed that SOX9 downregulation leads to cell-specific changes in the expression levels of epithelial and mesenchymal protein markers and pancreatic developmental master genes. siSOX9 transfection led to a significant decrease in proliferative activity and to the activation of proapoptotic caspases in transfected cells. The acquired results demonstrate that the SOX9 protein exerts its multiple functions as a pleiotropic regulator of differentiation and a potential promoter of tumor growth. The research was performed at the Laboratory of human genes structure and functions and the Group of gene immuno-oncotherapy of the IBCh RAS and was published in Biomedicines journal.
august 12, 2022