However, the role of JNK in chemoresistance/sensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells, let alone pancreatic CSCs, to clinically relevant chemotherapeutic agents has remained largely unknown except for a report showing that GEM-induced apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells was dependent on JNK-mediated DUSP1 expression [27]. Here, MAPK8 is linked to familial pancreatic carcinoma.