Different roles of GPR120 and GPR40 in the acquisition of malignant properties in pancreatic cancer cells

Free fatty acids (FFAs) act as extracellular signaling molecules through binding to G-protein-coupled FFA receptors (FFARs). GPR120 and GPR40 are identified as FFARs for medium- and long-chain fatty acids. In the present study, we investigated roles of GPR120 and GPR40 in cellular functions of pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells, using GPR120 and GPR40 knockdown cells (PANC-sh120 and PANC-sh40 cells respectively). In cell motility assay, PANC-sh120 cells showed the low cell motility, compared with control cells. In contrast, the cell motility of PANC-sh40 cells was significantly higher than that of control cells. Activity levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were measured by gelatin zymography. While PANC-sh120 cells indicated the reduced MMP-2 activity, MMP-2 activity in PANC-sh40 cells was significantly higher than that in control cells. On the other hand, no activation of MMP-9 was detected in all cells. In colony assay, the large sized colonies were markedly formed in PANC-sh40 cells. No colony formation was observed in PANC-sh120 cells as well as control cells. These results suggest that distinct effects of GPR120 and GPR40 are involved in the acquisition of malignant property in pancreatic cancer cells.