title: Isolation of a growth factor stress-induced pancreatic cancer sub-population: insight into changes due to micro-environment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Micro-environment plays a crucial role in determining the phenotypes within a tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to understand how the micro-environment affects pancreatic cancer, KLM1 cells were cultured under growth factor stress by culturing in foetal bovine serum (FBS)-free and reduced (1%) medium over several passages to mimic the core of a solid tumor with low vascularisation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Proteomic analysis on these conditioned pancreatic cancer cells, called KLM1-S, compared to the parent cell line KLM1 revealed that a number of proteins including α-enolase, GAPDH, GRP78, HSP60 and STIP-1 were dysregulated. Additionally, KLM1-S cells exhibited a 250-fold increase in half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) over the parent cell line KLM1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By decreasing their replication rate and levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), KLM1-S cells are able to resist gemcitabine (GEM). The results obtained suggest that in KLM1 different phenotypes are a result of cellular plasticity rather than a committed transformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta Department of Biochemistry and Functional Proteomics, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Byron
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Functional Proteomics, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Functional Proteomics, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan Centre of Clinical Laboratories in Tokuyama Medical Association Hospital, Shunan-shi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Functional Proteomics, Graduate School of Medicine, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kuramitsu
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay; D015153:Blotting, Western; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002469:Cell Separation; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D040901:Proteomics; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects*; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000187:drug effects*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; C000717247:HSPA5 protein, human; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins
keywords: Pancreatic cancer; cancer sub-population; micro-environment; proteomics