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Pancreas-specific protein disulfide isomerase has a cell type-specific expression in various mouse tissues and is absent in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells: implications for its functions

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Abstract

Members of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family play a critical role in catalyzing the formation of disulfide bonds in secretory proteins, and most of these enzymes have a wide tissue distribution. However, the pancreas-specific PDI homolog was previously suggested to be exclusively expressed in the pancreas (thus commonly referred to as PDIp). In the present study, we found that PDIp was also highly expressed in several other tissues in mice, including the stomach, cecum, ileum, adrenal glands, epididymis, and prostate. Notably, in the digestive organs, such as the stomach and pancreas, very high levels of PDIp were selectively expressed in the digestive enzyme-secreting cells (e.g., gastric chief cells and pancreatic acinar cells). This observation suggests that PDIp may function as a protein-folding catalyst for secretory digestive enzymes. In ileum, PDIp was exclusively expressed in Paneth cells. In addition, high levels of PDIp expression were also detected in normal human pancreas, but its expression was mostly absent in human pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma and pancreatic cancer cell lines. The absence of PDIp expression in pancreatic adenocarcinoma may serve as an additional biomarker for pancreatic cancer.

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Abbreviations

PDI:

Protein disulfide isomerase

PDIp:

Pancreas-specific PDI homolog

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported, in part, by a grant from the NIH (CA97109). Some of the analytical and imaging instruments employed in this study are part of the COBRE core facility that is supported by the NIH Grant P20RR021940 from the National Center for Research Resources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, MS-1018, room KLSIC-4061, 2146 W. 39th Ave, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA

    Xin-Miao Fu, Xiangchen Dai, Jian Ding & Bao Ting Zhu

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  1. Xin-Miao Fu
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  2. Xiangchen Dai
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  3. Jian Ding
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  4. Bao Ting Zhu
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Correspondence to Bao Ting Zhu.

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Fu, XM., Dai, X., Ding, J. et al. Pancreas-specific protein disulfide isomerase has a cell type-specific expression in various mouse tissues and is absent in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells: implications for its functions. J Mol Hist 40, 189–199 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-009-9230-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-009-9230-5

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