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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Jan 16.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Cell Biol. 2015 May 18;17(6):816–826. doi: 10.1038/ncb3169

Figure 8. Model for the sequential steps in liver pre-metastatic niche formation induced by pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma-derived exosomes.

Figure 8

Education with MIF+ PDAC-derived exosomes, which bind predominantly to Kupffer cells in the liver, induces TGFβ production by these cells. TGFβ activates hStCs, which in turn upregulate FN. Bone marrow-derived cells (i.e. macrophages) bind to FN-enriched hepatic sites, ultimately leading to liver pre-metastatic niche formation.