Annexin A2 controls pancreatic cancer invasion and metastasis through a novel axon guidance pathway

The mechanisms involved in promoting metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma have yet to be elucidated. Here, we show that AnnexinA2 regulates the secretion of Semaphorin3D from pancreatic tumor cells allowing it to bind to its receptor PlexinD1 on the surface of the tumor cell, which induces invasion and metastasis. Knockdown of AnnexinA2 or Semaphorin3D decreases the metastatic potential of pancreatic tumor cells, while over expression of AnnexinA2 or Semaphorin3D is sufficient to rescue the invasion capacity of these cells. Clinically, we found that Semaphorin3D expression correlates with poor survival and increased metastatic potential in human PDA patients. This study identified a novel axon guidance pathway downstream of AnnexinA2 that can be targeted in the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Two primary pancreatic tumor cell lines were analyzed. The first primary line was derived from a KrasG12D/p53172H/Pdx-1Cre mouse, which served as the reference sample. The second primary line was derived from a KrasG12D/p53R172H/Pdx-1Cre/AnxA2-/- mouse.