Kindlin-1 expression is involved in migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer

Kindlin-1 is a novel focal adhesion protein that belongs to the kindlin family. Expression of kindlin-1 has recently been reported in lung and colon cancers, but there have been no studies on its expression in pancreatic cancer. This study aimed to investigate the expression and function of kindlin-1 in pancreatic cancer. Quantitative RT-PCR of Kindlin-1 mRNA was performed in various pancreatic cancer cell lines as well as normal pancreatic epithelial cells and fibroblasts. Immunohistochemical analysis of kindlin-1 was performed for pancreatic cancer tissues. The effects of kindlin-1 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells were investigated using an RNA interference technique. Kindlin-1 mRNA was highly expressed in the pancreatic cancer cell lines, but only slightly expressed in normal pancreatic epithelial cells and fibroblasts. The Kindlin-1 protein was heterogeneously expressed in the cytoplasm and membrane of pancreatic cancer cells, while normal ductal epithelial cells and stromal cells showed no expression. In vitro experiments involving knockdown of kindlin-1 in AsPC-1 and KP-2 cells revealed that the migratory and invasive abilities of the cells were significantly decreased (P<0.001), while the proliferation abilities were not affected. The present findings suggest that kindlin-1 expression is involved in the progression of pancreatic cancer via enhancement of cell migration and invasion.