PKR2 and β-catenin genes regulates pancreatic cancer chemosensitivity.

OBJECTIVE: Pancreas is a well developed glandular organ lying behind the stomach. Cancer arises in this organ are difficult to identify in the initial stages, even in advanced stages it shows non-specific symptoms, and it is difficult to prognosis. Since they are identified and treated in the last stage, they are less responsive to chemotherapy. Therefore, it is important to study the proteins that are involved in regulating chemosensitivity and chemoresistance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Initially, using KRAS mutant mice, we developed initial and advanced stage of pancreatic cancer. And we analyzed the expression of PKR2 and β-catenin in different pathological stages of pancreatic cancer using Immunohistology and Western blotting.

RESULTS: The histology of the tissue nature confirms and helps to categorize cancer, which shows enlarged nucleus in initial stages and shows clustering of cells in advanced stages. Immunohistological and Western blotting analyzes show prominent increasing in the expression of PKR2 and β-catenin as the tumor develops to the next stages. On the course of initial treatment with cisplatin we find out that PKR2 and β-catenin regulate the chemosensitivity with under-expression when compared with respective controls. In the advanced stages of pancreatic cancer with cisplatin treatment, we observed chemoresistance behavior with overexpression, especially for β-catenin.

CONCLUSIONS: The results conclude that using PKR2 and β-catenin we are able to assess the chemosensitivity and chemoresistance nature of pancreatic cancer.