Establishment and Characterization of 10 Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines Including a HER2 Overexpressed Cell Line

Objective: The incidence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) approximates its prevalence, as the malignancy is almost consistently fatal within a year. Although the currently available adjuvant therapy seems to provide survival benefit, it is only moderate, and the standard regimen has not yet been established. Therefore, more biological resources to investigate the PA are needed.

Methods: Here, we established and characterized 10 human pancreatic cancer cell lines derived from primary tumor mass. Whole exome sequencing technique was used to identify driver mutations and aberrant pathways in each cell line.

Results: Five anticancer drugs were treated to find half maximal effective concentration (EC50), and the response was analyzed in reference to mutational status. Frame shift mutations in ARID1A gene and HER2 amplification were mutually related to better response to the anticancer drugs. In contrast, frame shift mutation in MSH6 gene was associated with resistance to anticancer drugs.

Conclusions: In summary, we established 10 pancreatic cancer cell lines and integrated various molecular aberrations and features of pancreatic cancer cells. Our biological resources are expected to contribute to facilitating research on PA.