Abstract 894: Pancreatic cancer screening by TLR phenotyping

Abstract

Abstract Background: Toll-like receptor (TLR) proteins play key roles in immune responses against infection. TLRs are normally associated with multiple chronic inflammatory diseases. As chronic inflammation often leads to development of neoplasia, we hypothesize that TLRs may promote neoplasia in distinct organ types. Elevated expression of some TLRs has been reported in many tumor tissues and/or tumor cell lines. It is known that in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), chronic inflammatory conditions often precede the tumorigenesis process. However, in this context a comprehensive analysis of expression of TLRs in PDAC is currently unknown. Aim: To investigate the expression of multiple TLRs in PDAC cells. Methods and Results: Multiple PDAC cell lines including AsPC-1, MIA PaCa2, PANC-1, PANC-28, and SW1990 were used for TLR phenotyping. The expression of TLRs including TLR2, 3, 4, 7 and 9 were analyzed by Flow Cytometry and Western Blotting techniques. We found that the expression of TLR2, 3, 4, 7 and 9 can be detected in MIA PaCa2, PANC-1, PANC-28, and SW1990 cells. However, the expression of TLR4 and TLR7 are very low in SW1990 cells when compared to MIA PaCa2, PANC-1, and PANC-28 cells. In AsPC-1 cells, the expression of TLR2, 4, and 7 are below the detection levels while the expression of TLR9 and TLR3 can be readily detected. Conclusion: The expression profile of TLRs is distinct among multiple PDAC cells. Using the PDAC cell lines as a model system we are assessing potential predictive value of TLRs as biomarkers in cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 894. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-894