High expression levels of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor are correlated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer
Ryotaro Ohkuma, Erica Yada, Shumpei Ishikawa, Daisuke Komura, Yutaro Kubota, Kazuyuki Hamada, Atsushi Horiike, Tomoyuki Ishiguro, Yuya Hirasawa, Hirotsugu Ariizumi, Midori Shida, Makoto Watanabe, Rie Onoue, Kiyohiro Ando, Junji Tsurutani, Kiyoshi Yoshimura, Tetsuro Sasada, Takeshi Aoki, Masahiko Murakami, Tomoko Norose, Nobuyuki Ohike, Masafumi Takimoto, Shinichi Kobayashi, Takuya Tsunoda, Satoshi Wada
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer has extremely poor prognosis, warranting the discovery of novel therapeutic and prognostic markers. The expression of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR), a key component of the mucosal immune system, is increased in several cancers. However, its clinical relevance in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. In the present study, the prognostic value of pIgR in pancreatic cancer patients after surgical resection was assessed and it was determined that the expression of pIgR was correlated with poor prognosis. Ten pancreatic cancer patient‑derived xenograft (PDX) lines were established, followed by next‑generation sequencing of tumor tissues from these lines after standard chemotherapy. Immunohistochemical analysis of chemoresistance‑related molecules using 77 pancreatic cancer tissues was also performed. The expression of pIgR mRNA in the PDX group treated with anticancer drugs was higher than in the untreated group. High pIgR expression in tissue specimens from 77 pancreatic cancer patients was significantly associated with poor prognosis and was revealed to be an independent prognostic factor, predicting poor outcomes. High pIgR mRNA and protein levels were independent prognostic factors, indicating that pIgR could be a novel predictor for poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer patients.