Roles of voltage-gated potassium channels in the maintenance of pancreatic cancer stem cells

The targeting of membrane proteins that are activated in cancer stem cells (CSCs) represents one of the key strategies in novel cancer therapy. The present study investigated ion channel expression profiles and functions in pancreatic CSCs (PCSCs). Cells strongly expressing aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1 (ALDH1A1) were separated from PK59 cells, a human pancreatic cancer cell line, using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and PCSCs were identified based on tumorsphere formation. A microarray analysis was performed to investigate gene expression profiles in PCSCs. ALDH1A1 messenger RNA levels were higher in PCSCs. PCSCs were resistant to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and capable of re-differentiation. The microarray analysis revealed that gene expression related to ion channels, including voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv), was up-regulated. 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP), a potent Kv inhibitor, exhibited greater cytotoxicity in PCSCs. In a xenograft model in nude mice, tumor volumes were significantly smaller in mice injected with PK59 cells treated with 4-AP than in those injected with non-treated cells. The present results implicate Kv in the persistence of PCSCs, and the Kv inhibitor, 4-AP, has potential as a therapeutic agent for pancreatic carcinoma. Total RNA of PK59 cells and PK59 CSCs were extracted using an RNeasy kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). Quantitative real-time PCR (7300 Real-Time PCR System; Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) and TaqMan Gene Expression Assays (Applied Biosystems) were performed. We compared the differences in gene expression between PK59cell and PK59CSC using Microarray assay.