eIF4E-phosphorylation-mediated Sox2 upregulation promotes pancreatic tumor cell repopulation after irradiation.

•Sox2 expression is up-regulated in irradiated pancreatic cancer cells.•Sox2 upregulation promotes tumor cell repopulation after irradiation via a paracrine modality.•eIF4E phosphorylation mediated Sox2 upregulation in irradiated pancreatic cancer cells at translational level.•eIF4E phosphorylation is induced by caspase 3/PKCδ/p38/MNK1 signal pathway.