Deleted in liver cancer-1 inhibits cell growth and tumorigenicity in human pancreatic cancer

Deleted in liver cancer-1 (DLC-1) has been isolated from primary hepatocellular carcinoma and demonstrated to be a potential tumor suppressor gene. The aim of the present study was to observe the effect of the DLC-1 gene on pancreatic cancer cell growth and evaluate the feasibility of using the DLC-1 gene in gene therapy for pancreatic cancer. A recombinant plasmid (pcDNA3.1/DLC-1) was transfected into PANC-1 cells by liposomes and then the pre-established human PANC-1 pancreatic carcinoma cells were injected into athymic nude mice via the tail vein. The results showed that the overexpression of DLC-1 in the PANC-1 cells inhibited cell proliferation in vitro, while the act of introducing DLC-1 reduced tumorigenicity in the nude mice. The findings suggest that DLC-1 may have an effect on the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer. The DLC-1 gene may be a promising target in gene therapy for pancreatic cancer.