Upregulation of DLC-1 inhibits pancreatic cancer progression: Studies with clinical samples and a pancreatic cancer model.

Deleted in liver cancer 1 (DLC-1) serves a vital role in the progression of multiple cancers, including those of the pancreas. Numerous studies have aimed to reveal the anti-cancer mechanisms of the DLC-1 gene, though few have focused on its impact on the development of pancreatic cancer. Using clinical pancreatic cancer samples and pancreatic cancer cell lines, the present study aimed to reveal the role of DLC-1 in this disease. The expression levels of DLC-1 were determined in pancreatic cancer and adjacent normal tissues from patients with pancreatic cancer, indicating a decreased expression level of DLC-1 in cancerous tissues. Using the pancreatic cancer cell line SW1990, the effect of DLC overexpression on cell proliferation, invasive capacity and the cell cycle and were assessed. Using a mouse tumor model, the tumor-progression capacity of transfected and untransfected SW1990 cells was investigated, indicating that DLC-1 transfection reduced the capacity for tumor progression. Thus, the present study indicated that the overexpression of DLC-1 inhibited the proliferation and reduced the invasive capacity of SW1990 cells both in vitro and in vivo, and that it may have significant inhibitory effects on the development of pancreatic cancer.