GFRα2 prompts cell growth and chemoresistance through down-regulating tumor suppressor gene PTEN via Mir-7-5p in pancreatic cancer

Nerve growth factors and their receptors have received an increasing attention in certain cancers since they play an important role in regulating tumorigenesis, biological process and metastasis. Here we aimed at characterizing a new function of one of the subtypes of growth factor receptors (GFR), GFR alpha(2), in pancreatic cancer. In this study, we showed that GFR alpha(2) was up-regulated in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and was positively correlated with tumor size and perineural invasion, which indicated that it may be associated with cell growth and apoptosis. Mechanically, we discovered that high GFR alpha(2) expression level leads to PTEN inactivation via enhancing Mir-17-5p level. (C) 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.