These results suggest that NRP-1/PTN interaction provides a novel mechanism for controlling the response of endothelial and tumoral cells to PTN and may explain, at least in part, how PTN contributes to tumor angiogenesis and cancer progression.
Pleiotrophin (PTN) is a secreted, heparin-binding growth factor which is involved in various biological functions such as cell growth, differentiation, and tumor progression.
High PTN and N-syndecan expression was closely associated with metastasis and poor prognosis, suggesting that they may promote tumor progression and PNI in the orthotopic mouse model of pancreatic cancer.
The correlation analysis between PTN expression and clinical characteristics revealed that PTN expression was positively related to cancer progression.