Protein salvador homolog 1 acts as a tumor suppressor and is modulated by hypermethylation in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Salvador (SAV) is a gene product that contains two protein-protein interaction modules known as WW domains and is believed to act as a scaffolding protein for Hippo and Warts. SAV1 is the human homolog of Salvador, which is the most well characterized upstream signaling component of Hippo pathway. Although its role in some tumors is known, SAV1 function in other types of tumors, including pancreatic tumor, is still obscure. Here, we determined the role of SAV1 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) development and progression. Our results revealed that SAV1 suppressed expression promoted PDAC invasion and migration, and repressed pancreatic cancer cells apoptosis. Moreover, SAV1 was silenced by hypermethylation. Thus, SAV1 worked as a cancer suppressor and it might be considered as a target for pancreatic cancer therapy.