CCR5/CCL5 axis interaction promotes migratory and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest cancers and remains a major challenge due to its invasive and metastatic nature. Increased levels of CCR5 and CCL5 have established indicators for disease status in various cancers, including PC. However, their role in invasion and metastasis of PC is not known. Here we conducted immunohistochemistry of PC tissues and found elevated epithelial staining for CCR5 and CCL5 in metastatic PC tissues compared to non-neoplastic. In vitro experiments, such as flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and western blotting with human PC cell lines (AsPc-1, BxPc-3 and MIA PaCa-2), showed higher expression levels of CCR5. The CCL5 activation of PC cells expressing CCR5 increased their invasive potential, while treatment with CCR5 inhibitor maraviroc inhibited the CCL5 activation. CCL5 induced proliferation of PC cells was mediated through F-actin polymerization, while there was marked reduction when the cells were treated with maraviroc. The direct interaction of CCR5 with CCL5 was verified using a calcium mobilization assay. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CCR5 and CCL5 are potential markers for metastatic PC cancer, and their interaction leads to the increased PC cell invasion. Thus, blocking CCR5/CCL5 axis might prove beneficial to prevent metastasis and provide a more therapeutic strategy to control PC progression.