Increased expression of keratinocyte growth factor in human pancreatic cancer.

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) is a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) group of heparin-binding polypeptides. In the present study we sought to determine whether KGF is expressed in human pancreatic cancers. Using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), a cDNA fragment of KGF was cloned and used to analyze Northern blots of RNA isolated from normal and cancerous human pancreatic tissues. Seven of 16 (44%) pancreatic cancer samples revealed significant overexpression of the 2.4 kilobase KGF mRNA transcript by comparison with the normal pancreas. Northern blot analysis failed to reveal the KGF transcript in several cultured human pancreatic cancer cell lines. However, by PCR analysis, some of the cell lines expressed KGF mRNA. Furthermore, 5 of 7 tested cell lines expressed the KGF receptor, and the growth of one cell line was enhanced by human recombinant KGF. These results suggest that KGF may participate in aberrant paracrine and autocrine pathways in human pancreatic cancer.