Issn Print: 0885-3177
Publication Date: 2006/11/01
TRANSGENIC EXPRESSION OF ACTIVATED K-RAS IN PANCREATIC ACINAR CELLS CAUSES PANCREATIC DAMAGE RESEMBLING CHRONIC PANCREATITIS
Excerpt
K-ras mutations occur in more than 90% of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and up to 40% of chronic pancreatitis. However, the role of K-ras in these diseases is still uncertain. Trangenic models have been developed previously to address these issues, but the models had intrinsic limitations. For example, previous transgenic models have used elements of the elastase promoter to drive active ras expression in acinar cells. However, the promoter elements utilized were not highly efficient or specific for adult acinar cells and would not be expected to remain functional in cells after ras activation. A more recent model has utilized a developmental promoter (PDX1) to lead to the activation of K-ras in the pancreas, but not specifically in acinar cells. In the current study, we utilized a transgenic approach to investigate the effect of expression of mutant active K-ras in pancreatic acinar cells.
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