ESTABLISHMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW SPONTANEOUSLY IMMORTALIZED, PANCREATIC DUCTAL CELL-LINE FROM THE SYRIAN GOLDEN-HAMSTER

Spontaneously immortal pancreatic cell lines are not available. By use of a defined culture medium, such a line (TAKA-1) was established fro m the Syrian golden hamster. Cytological, cytogenetic, molecular biolo gical, enzymatic and receptor patterns as well as antigenicity were st udied and were compared with those of the normal hamster pancreatic du ctal cells in vivo. TAKA-1 cells grew exponentially in a monolayer on collagen gel in a defined medium but did not proliferate in soft agar. Ultrastructurally, the cells closely resembled the normal hamster pan creatic ductal cells. Similarities and dissimilarities were found betw een the normal ductal cells and TAKA-1 cells. Similarities included th e presence of cytokeratin, carbonic anhydrase and some tumor-associate d antigens. However, unlike the normal ductal cells, TAKA-1 cells expr essed blood group A antigen and anti-vimentin, showed affinity to sele cted lectins and an abnormality of chromosome 3, which is suggested to be associated with immortality. Moreover, unlike the hamster pancreat ic ductal cancer cells but like the normal hamster pancreatic ductal c ells, TAKA-1 cells did not have a c-Ki-ras mutation. EGF, TGF-alpha an d secretin, but not CCK or GRP, bound to the TAKA-1 cells. TAKA-1 cell s produced TGF-alpha, and their growth was stimulated by exogenous EGF in serum-free medium. This cell line presents a suitable model for bi ologic and pathologic study of the hamster pancreatic ductal cells in vitro.