Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Bioluminescent Orthotopic Model of Pancreatic Cancer Progression
Published on: June 28, 2013
Annexin A1 May Induce Pancreatic Cancer Progression as a Key Player of Extracellular Vesicles Effects as Evidenced in
Emanuela Pessolano1, Raffaella Belvedere2, Valentina Bizzarro3
1Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II 132, 84084 Fisciano, Italy. epessolano@unisa.it.
Abstract:
Pancreatic Cancer (PC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies worldwide. As annexin A1 (ANXA1) is implicated in the establishment of tumour metastasis, the role of the protein in PC progression as a component of extracellular vesicles (EVs) has been investigated. EVs were isolated from wild type (WT) and ANXA1 knock-out (KO) PC cells and then characterised by multiple approaches including Western blotting, Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Dynamic Light Scattering. The effects of ANXA1 on tumour aggressiveness were investigated by Wound-Healing and invasion assays and microscopic analysis of the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). The role of ANXA1 on angiogenesis was also examined in endothelial cells, using similar approaches. We found that WT cells released more EVs enriched in exosomes than those from cells lacking ANXA1. Notably, ANXA1 KO cells recovered their metastatic potential only when treated by WT EVs as they underwent EMT and a significant increase of motility. Similarly, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) migrated and invaded more rapidly when treated by WT EVs whereas ANXA1 KO EVs weakly induced angiogenesis. This study suggests that EVs-related ANXA1 is able to promote cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, confirming the relevance of this protein in PC progression.
Related Concept Videos
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Key Techniques in Microbiology
Key Elements for Plant Nutrition
Induced-fit Model
Enzymes exhibit substrate specificity, meaning that they can only bind to certain substrates. This is mainly determined by the shape and chemical...
Mechanisms of Retrovirus-induced Cancers
Tumor Progression
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...

