Intracellular C3 Modulates EMTviathe Akt/Smad Pathway in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

We aimed to explore the role of intracellular C3 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).We evaluated C3 expression in PDAC using a gene expression database and tissue microarray. To clarify the role of C3 expression in PDAC, we conducted knockdown experiments using C3 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in BxPC-3 cells. Differences in protein expression and cell behaviours were analysed.C3 was highly expressed in PDAC and correlated with cancer metastasis. In vitro experiments using BxPX-3 cells showed that C3 and its active form, C3a, were expressed in tumour cells. C3 knockdown reduced cell migration and invasion by inhibiting Akt/Smad pathway activation. TNF-α, not IL-6, enhanced C3 expression in this PDAC cell line.Intracellular C3 may regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer.