Establishment and Characterization of Six Primary Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive tumor; treatment remains a challenge because of the lack of effective therapeutic strategies. Basic research in this field is dependent on the availability of model systems. New pancreatic cancer cell lines are therefore important for the study of its biology. In the present study, we report the establishment and characterization of six new pancreatic cancer cell lines (PaCaDD-141, -159, -161, -165, -183, -188). Material and Methods: All cell lines were derived from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas by the Dresden outgrowth protocol. The six cell lines originated from different sample locations. We characterized the cell lines by examining their morphology and their cytostructural and functional profiles. Results: All cell lines were cultured in optimized Dresden-Medium. The doubling time ranged from 20 to 43 hours. KRAS mutations were detected in four of the six cell lines. Immunohistochemical staining showed cytoplasmic expression of CK8/18, mostly membrane and partially cytoplasmic expression of E-cadherin and strong expression of ezrin in all cell lines. Three cell lines showed nuclear p53 accumulation and heterogeneous expression of vimentin. SMAD4 was heterogeneously expressed in the cell lines. Conclusions: We were able to establish six new primary pancreatic carcinoma cell lines. As applicable tools for basic research, these cell lines might contribute to a better understanding and treatment of this aggressive tumor.