Figure 6. Pancreatic stellate cell-induced cancer cell migration and DNA synthesis are inhibited by blocking HGF signaling.

(A) DNA synthesis was determined by measuring [³H]-thymidine incorporation in BxPC-3 cells stimulated with HGF or conditioned medium from the SC40 and SC41 PSCs with or without the Met signaling inhibitor SU11274 (2 μM). HGF and SU11274 were added at 48 h, [³H]-thymidine after 68 h and the cells were harvested at 72 h. SC40 and SC41 data were conducted from independent experiments (B) Cancer cell migration was determined by wound assay after 10 h stimulation of BxPC-3 cells with HGF or conditioned medium from the SC40 PSCs with or without the Met signaling inhibitor SU11274. (C–D) BxPC-3 cells were stimulated with conditioned medium from the PSC cells SC40 for the indicated time points 30 min after adding (C) SU11274 (2 μM) or (D) HGF neutralizing antibody (10 μg/ml). The cells were lysed and proteins subjected to immunoblotting using the indicated antibodies. Immunoblots shown are representative of three independent experiments. Error bars represent S.E.M.; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.005, ***p < 0.001.