Functional characterization of pancreatic cancer candidate genes

Coordinator:		PD Dr. Malte Buchholz
Institution:		Philipps-Universität Marburg, Klinik für Innere Medizin SP Gastroenterologie
Homepage:		www.uni-marburg.de

In previous high-throughput gene expression analyses of pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines, we have selected a total of ~2000 pancreatic cancer candidate genes, which have subsequently been further characterized using serial hybridizations with candidate gene arrays. Bioinformatic evaluation of the expression profiles and functional annotation of the gene products represented on the arrays has led to the identification of 80 candidate genes which have a high probability to be of biological relevance or to be suited as target genes for diagnostic or therapeutic applications. This set of 80 genes will be supplemented by all candidate genes that are identified during the IG´s initial expert jamboree.
In this subproject, we will make use of reverse transfection array technology to experimentally characterize these pre-selected candidate genes in functional assays in a highly parallel fashion. These experiments will serve to identify and select those genes which prove to be most instrumental to pancreatic cancer progression, i.e. which are centrally involved in defining the proliferative, invasive and/or metastatic phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells. Individual selected genes will further be subjected to an in-depth individual functional characterization using in vitro models as well as the in vivo models supplied as central resource by TP2. If applicable, additional candidates for functional characterization which may emerge as potential targets through the jamboree process during the course of the project will be included in these analyses.