Proteolysis of delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1), a cell-surface transmembrane protein, produces an active soluble form of DLK1 (sDLK1). Both membrane-bound DLK1 and sDLK1 modulate multiple developmental processes including adipogenesis, osteogenesis, chondrogenesis and myogenesis. However, cancer-related functions of DLK1 have not yet been established. We thus evaluated the roles of extracellular sDLK1, comprising six EGF-like domains and juxtamembrane regions, in human pancreatic cancer MIA PaCa-2 cells in vitro and in vivo. We observed that sDLK1 exerted antitumor effects not only in cancer cell migration and anchorage-independent cell growth but also in in vivo tumor growth.
Keywords: Cancer; Delta-like 1 homolog; Extracellular soluble DLK1; Membrane protein; Proteolysis.
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