Establishment of a new human pancreatic cancer cell line, NOR-P1, with high angiogenic activity and metastatic potential

We present here a new cell line, NOR-P1. established from a metastatic subc utaneous tumor of a patient with pancreatic cancer. The cells show rapid gr owth in culture with a doubling time of 16 h and high migration activity. G enetic and molecular analyses revealed high telomerase activity and a mutat ion in the K-ras oncogene. Of particular interest, the cells express marked ly elevated mRNA levels of angiogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, as well as other tumor growth-re lated factors. Subcutaneous transplantation of the NOR-P1 cells into nude m ice formed solid-hemorrhagic tumors which were histologically diagnosed as adenocarcinoma with dense blood vessels and severe extravasation of blood. Furthermore, when NOR-P1 cell suspension was injected directly into the pan creas of nude mice. the cells grew rapidly to form intra-pancreatic tumors associated with liver metastases and peritoneal dissemination that resulted in cachexia and subsequent death. These properties suggest that NOR-P1 is an aggressive pancreatic cancer cell line with a high metastatic potential and may serve as a useful experimental model for studying tumor angiogenesi s and metastasis of pancreatic cancer. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Lt d. All rights reserved.