Issues

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with a pronounced fibro-inflammatory stromal reaction that contributes to tumor progression. A critical step in invasion and metastasis is the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which can be regulated by the Snail family of transcription factors. Overexpression of Snail and mutant Kras^G12D in the pancreas of transgenic mice causes fibrosis. The cover image shows a pancreatic section from a 3-month-old Kras^G12D/Snail mouse that was analyzed for fibrosis using trichrome staining (blue = fibrosis). Please see the article by Knab and colleagues (beginning on page 1440), which demonstrates that Snail also modulates inflammation in the mouse pancreas.