CXCR4 expression increases liver and lung metastasis in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer

Expression of the Gi-protein-coupled chemokine receptor CXCR4 has recently been linked to increased proliferation, invasion and migration of human pancreatic cancer cell lines. However, the relevance of CXCR4 for organ specific pancreatic cancer metastasis in vivo remains unclear. Here we have studied the role of CXCR4 in vivo using noninvasive bioluminescent imaging of metastasis in a mouse model of pancreatic cancer. Murine TD–2 cells, established from pancreatic carcinoma of a TGFα/p53±transgenic mouse, display poor metastatic potential, as demonstrated by tail vein metastatic assay in nude mice. CXCR4 mRNA a…