Exosomal miR-4644 targets SPRY3 to promote proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer

Tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs) can carry diverse genetic material that modulates pancreatic cancer (PC) proliferation and invasion. Despite this, the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in exosome-mediated tumor progression in PC remains inadequately explored. This study demonstrates that miR-4644 upregulation in exosomes derived from PC promotes both proliferation and invasion, while its inhibition suppresses tumor progression. SPRY3, a downstream target of miR-4644, acts to mitigate PC malignancy when overexpressed. Mechanistically, elevated miR-4644 in PC-derived exosomes fosters tumor growth and invasion through the suppression of SPRY3. Collectively, these findings indicate that high miR-4644 expression in pancreatic cancer exosomes correlates with poor patient prognosis, highlighting its potential as a biomarker for early diagnosis and prognostic assessment of PC.