title: Human pancreatic cancer cell lines express the CCKB receptor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The gastrointestinal peptide gastrin might be a stimulatory effector of the growth of human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Several authors suggest that this effect is mediated by CCKB receptors. However, no studies have examined human pancreatic cells for CCKB receptor expression. The study was designed to evaluate cell lines from human pancreatic cancer (n = 6), or normal pancreatic ducts (n = 2), pancreatic tumor and control tissues (n = 9) for CCKB receptor expression.
  
  
  METHODS
  RNA from cell lines and tissues was subject to DNAse digestion, reverse transcription and amplification using CCKB receptor cDNA sequence specific oligonucleotides via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After confirmation of CCKB receptor sequence, the products were examined using southern blot analysis. The relative expression was determined by photodensitometrical quantification and normalization to the housekeeping gene beta-actin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six pancreatic tumor cell lines expressed the CCKB receptor. Amplification of CCKB receptor cDNA from 2 cell lines derived from non-malignant human pancreatic duct cell lines resulted in products with a significantly lower copy number. Tissues like stomach and brain served as positive controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results provide evidence that most human pancreatic cancer cell lines of ductal origin express CCKB receptor mRNA. Malignant pancreatic tissue may overexpress these receptors in comparison with normal tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital Eppendorf, Hamburg.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Weerth
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: von Schrenck
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Löhr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mirau
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Greten
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kalthoff
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011949:Receptors, Cholecystokinin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D011949:Receptors, Cholecystokinin