Targeting P2X₇ receptor inhibits the metastasis of murine P388D1 lymphoid neoplasm cells to lymph nodes

The P2X₇R (P2X₇ receptor) is an ATP-gated cation channel expressed in normal cells that participates in both cell proliferation and apoptosis. Here, we have confirmed P2X₇R expression on murine P388D1 lymphoid neoplasm cells. In addition, ATP-stimulated P2X₇R expression was found to trigger increased intracellular calcium flux. Furthermore, silencing with short hairpin RNA and blocking with P2X₇R antibody significantly reduced the metastasis of P388D1 cells to lymph nodes. These results indicate that inhibition of the expression and function of P2X₇R attenuates the metastatic ability of murine lymphoid neoplasm cell line P388D1, which represents a new potential target for anti-metastatic therapy.