Surgery (Austin & Northern Health) - Research Publications

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Author: Patel, Oneel × Author: He, Hong × Type: Journal Article ×

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    FRAX597, a PAK1 inhibitor, synergistically reduces pancreatic cancer growth when combined with gemcitabine
    Yeo, D ; He, H ; Patel, O ; Lowy, AM ; Baldwin, GS ; Nikfarjam, M (BMC, 2016-01-16)
    BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains one of the most lethal of all solid tumours. Treatment options are limited and gemcitabine-based chemotherapy remains the standard of care. Although growing evidence shows that p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) plays a crucial role in pancreatic cancer, its role has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to characterise the expression and functional relevance of PAK1 in pancreatic cancer. METHODS: PAK1 expression was measured in pancreatic cancer specimens by immunohistochemistry and in pancreatic cancer cell lines by western blotting. The effect of inhibition of PAK1 by either shRNA knock-down (KD), or by a selective inhibitor, FRAX597, alone or in combination with gemcitabine, on cell proliferation and migration/invasion was measured by thymidine uptake and Boyden chamber assays, respectively. The effect on tumour growth and survival was assessed in orthotopic murine models. RESULTS: PAK1 was expressed in all human pancreatic cancer samples tested, an7d was upregulated in all pancreatic cancer cell lines tested. PAK1 KD inhibited pancreatic cancer cell growth and survival, and increased sensitivity to gemcitabine treatment. AKT activity and HIF1α expression were also inhibited. FRAX597 inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, survival, and migration/invasion. When combined with gemcitabine, FRAX597 synergistically inhibited pancreatic cancer proliferation in vitro and inhibited tumour growth in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These results implicate PAK1 as a regulator of pancreatic cancer cell growth and survival. Combination of a PAK1 inhibitor such as FRAX597 with cytotoxic chemotherapy deserves further study as a novel therapeutic approach to pancreatic cancer treatment.
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    P21-activated kinase 1 promotes colorectal cancer survival by up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α
    Liu, KH ; Nhi, H ; Patel, O ; Shulkes, A ; Baldwin, G ; He, H (ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD, 2013-10-28)
    P21 activated kinase 1 (PAK1) enhances colorectal cancer (CRC) progression by stimulating Wnt/β-catenin and Ras oncogene, which promote CRC survival via stimulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). The aim of this study was to assess the mechanism involved in the stimulation by PAK1 of CRC survival. PAK1 promoted CRC cell survival by up-regulation of HIF-1α. PAK1 was over-expressed and hyper-activated in tumors of ApcΔ(14/+) mice, which was correlated with over-expression of HIF-1α and β-catenin. Inhibition of PAK1 decreased tumor growth and the expression of HIF-1α and β-catenin in tumors of ApcΔ(14/+) mice, and suppressed xenograft tumor survival in SCID mice. These findings indicate that PAK1 stimulates CRC survival by up-regulation of HIF-1α.