Pancreatic
adenocarcinoma is thought to develop from histologically identifiable intraductal lesions known as pancreatic intraepithelial
neoplasias (PanINs), which exhibit similar morphological and genetic features to pancreatic ductal
adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Therefore, a better understanding of the biological features underlying the progression of PanIN is essential to development more effective therapeutic interventions for PDAC. In recent years, numerous studies have reported that
MET proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase (c-MET) is a potential marker of
pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs have been revealed to initiate and propagate
tumors in vitro and in vivo, and are associated with a chemoresistant phenotype. However, in vivo models using a xenograft approach are limited. In the present study, the morphological phenotype, molecular alteration and biological behavior of
neoplasia in Pdx-1Cre/+, KrasLSL-G12D/+ and Metflox/flox and wild-type mice was analyzed. The results demonstrated that while oncogenic KrasLSL-G12D/+ increased PanIN initiation and significantly decreased survival rate compared with wild-type mice, no additive effect of c-Met receptor signaling on PanIN progression or prognosis was observed. Following
gemcitabine administration, c-Met inhibition in Kras LSL-G12D/+ mice significantly decreased the total surface area of PanIN lesions and the number of anti-proliferation marker
protein Ki-67 positive cells occupying PanIN lesions compared with Met+/+ mice. In conclusion, complete inhibition of the c-Met signaling pathway with
chemotherapy may be useful for the treatment of
pancreatic cancer.