NCF-1 plays a pivotal role in the survival of adenocarcinoma cells of pancreatic and gastric origins

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a pivotal biological role in cells, with ROS function differing depending on cellular conditions and the extracellular environment. Notably, ROS act as cytotoxic factors to eliminate infectious pathogens or promote cell death under cellular stress, while also facilitating cell growth (via ROS-sensing pathways) by modifying gene expression. Among ROS-related genes, neutrophil cytosolic factor-1 (NCF-1; p47phox) was identified as a ROS generator in neutrophils. This product is a subunit of a cytosolic NADPH oxidase complex activated in response to pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. NCF-1 has been examined primarily in terms of ROS-production pathways in macrophages and neutrophils; however, the expression of this protein and its biological role in cancer cells remain unclear. Here, we report expression of NCF-1 in pancreatic and gastric cancers, and demonstrate its biological significance in these tumor cells. Abundant expression of NCF-1 was observed in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) lines and in patient tissues, as well as in gastric adenocarcinomas. Accumulation of the protein was also detected in the invasive/metastatic foci of these tumors. Unexpectedly, BxPC-3 underwent apoptotic cell death when transfected with a small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific to NCF-1, whereas the cells treated with a control siRNA proliferated in a time-dependent manner. A similar phenomenon was observed in HSC-58, a poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma line. Consequently, the tumor cells highly expressing NCF-1 obtained coincident accumulation of ROS and reduced glutathione (GSH) with expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), a quencher involved in ferroptosis. Unlike the conventional role of ROS as a representative cytotoxic factor, these findings suggest that NCF-1-mediated ROS generation may be required for expansive growth of PDAC and gastric cancers.