Pflügers Archiv : European journal of physiology
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In the recent decades, ion channels became the focus of cancer biologists, as many channels are overexpressed in tumour tissue and functionally they are linked to abnormal cell behaviour with processes including apoptosis, chemo- and radioresistance, proliferation and migration. KCa3.1 is a Ca2+-activated K+ channel that plays a central role in tumour progression in many cancer types. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate KCa3.1 expression in pancreatic cancer cells and assess possible implications to disease progression. ⋯ In conclusion, we found prominent functional expression of KCa3.1 in pancreatic cancer cells. We provide evidence that the channel has a key role in cell proliferation and for the first time identify KCa3.1 as important entity in PDAC cell migration. We further reveal anomalous effects of TRAM-34.