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. 2016 Aug 23;8(52):89552–89565. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.11533

Figure 4. Periostin enhances the tumorigenicity of pancreatic cancer cells in vivo and promotes metastasis.

Figure 4

(A) SW1990 cells were co-injected with control shRNA-transfected PSC cells or periostin shRNA1-transfected PSC cells into the right side of nude mice. (B) After 4 weeks the mice were sacrificed. SW1990 cells injected with periostin shRNA1-transfected PSCs exhibited slower growth and reduced tumor volumes and weights of xenografts. (C and D) Immunohistochemical staining showed periostin deposits in the stroma of xenografts, and HE staining revealed that the xenografts had prominent desmoplastic reaction. Xenograft tumors from the periostin-shRNA group contained significantly fewer Ki-67-positive proliferative cells than those from the control group (n = 15, five random fields). Periostin expression was not associated with apoptosis in xenograft tumors of SW1990 and PSCs cells as assessed by TUNEL assay. (E) Periostin promoted peritoneal metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells in nude mice. SW1990 cells were co-injected with control shRNA-transfected PSCs or with periostin shRNA1-transfected PSCs into the lower-left quadrant of nude mice. Representative pictures are shown; metastatic nodules are marked by white arrowheads. Each group contained 20 mice; analysis was by two-sided unpaired t-test.