WITHDRAWN: C1qTNF related protein 4 (CTRP4) promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and migration via activation of EGFR-PI3K-NF-κB pathway

In this study, the role of C1qTNF related protein 4 (CTRP4) in the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was explored. We found that, compared with the adjacent non-cancerous tissues and normal pancreatic cells, CTRP4 was markedly upregulated in human PDAC tissues and cell lines. CTRP4 siRNA or pcDNA-CTRP4 expression vectors were transfected into PANC-1 PDAC cells. CTRP4 knockdown sharply reduced IL-8 secretion, causing inactivation of EGFR/PI3K/NF-κB, and suppressing the proliferation and migration of PANC-1 cells. In contrast, CTRP4 overexpression increased IL-8 secretion and EGFR/PI3K/NF-κB activation, thus promoting cell proliferation and migration. Our data also revealed that IL-8 had a positive effect on cell proliferation and migration, as well as EGFR/PI3K/NF-κB activation. Moreover, CTRP4 overexpression and IL-8 stimulus did not alter PANC-1 cell proliferation and migration when the cells were pretreated with EGFR inhibitor PD153035 or PI3K inhibitor LY294002.