BACKGROUND AND AIMS The poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer is partly due to resistance to a broad spectrum of apoptotic stimuli. To identify intact proapoptotic pathways of potential clinical relevance, we characterised the effects of interferon γ (IFN-γ) on growth and survival in human pancreatic cancer cells.

RESULTS All four pancreatic cancer cell lines examined expressed functional IFN-γ receptors and downstream effectors, including the putative tumour suppressor interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1). IFN-γ treatment profoundly inhibited anchorage dependent and independent growth of pancreatic cancer cells. Cell cycle analyses revealed subdiploid cells suggesting apoptosis, which was confirmed by demonstration of DNA fragmentation and PARP cleavage. Time and dose dependency of apoptosis induction and growth inhibition correlated closely, identifying apoptosis as the main, if not exclusive, mechanism responsible for growth inhibition. Apoptosis was preceded by upregulation of procaspase-1 and accompanied by proteolytic activation. Furthermore, the caspase inhibitor z-vad-fmk completely prevented IFN-γ mediated apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS These results identify an intact proapoptotic pathway in pancreatic cancer cells and suggest that IRF-1 and/or procaspase-1 may represent potential therapeutic targets to be further explored.