The Expression of the Thrombin Receptors PAR-3 and PAR-4 is Downregulated in Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Background: Patients with pancreatic cancer frequently suffer from thrombosis as a consequence of excess thrombin generation. In addition to its role in the plasmatic coagulation cascade, thrombin induces numerous cellular effects by activating a unique group of G-protein-coupled receptors on the cell membrane, the proteinase-activated receptors (PARs). At present, PAR-1, PAR-3 and PAR-4 are known to be activated by thrombin. We previously demonstrated a putative role for PAR-1 in pancreatic cancer progression, but little is known about the physiological and pathophysiological roles of PAR-3 and PAR-4. In the present study, we examined the expression patterns of PAR-3 and PAR-4 in pancreatic tissue and pancreatic cancer cells. Methods: Tissue samples from three patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma and six human pancreatic carcinoma cell lines were examined. Gene expression was analysed by RT-PCR and quantified by HPLC. Protein expression was determined by Western blot analysis. Data analysis was performed using ANOVA in SPSS. Results and Conclusion: In contrast to PAR-1, both PAR-3 and PAR-4 were expressed in healthy pancreases but downregulated in pancreatic cancer. The contrasting expression patterns of PAR-3 and PAR-4 compared with PAR-1 indicate that the mechanism that regulates the cellular effects of thrombin on tumor progression remains to be fully elucidated.