Basal Notch4 activation is a druggable marker of aggressiveness in a panel of human cancer cell lines

Background: Notch pathway has been involved in cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and drug resistance, as well as in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Notch pathway activation leads to a proteolytic cleavage, releasing the Notch intracellular domain (NICD), which translocates to the nucleus and activates target genes, such as HES1 (interacting with Notch for maintenance of stem cells and progenitor phenotype). Our team has demonstrated the involvement of PlGF/VEGFR1/Notch4 axis in the angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma, but what about the role of Notch in other cancer types? The aim of this work is to characterize the basal activation and the role of Notch4 in a panel of human cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: We characterized a panel of 8 pancreatic (PDAC), 8 head and neck (HN 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 859.