title: HGUE-C-1 is an atypical and novel colon carcinoma cell line.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Colorectal carcinoma is a common cause of cancer. Adjuvant treatments include: 5-fluorouracil administered together with folinic acid, or more recently, oral fluoropyrimidines such as capecitabine, in combination with oxaliplatin or irinotecan. Metastatic colorectal cancer patients can benefit from other additional treatments such as cetuximab or bevacizumab.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using cell culture techniques, we isolated clonal populations from primary cultures of ascitic effusion derived from a colon cancer patient and after several passages an established cell line, HGUE-C-1, was obtained. Genetic analysis of HGUE-C-1 cells was performed by PCR of selected exons and sequencing. Cell proliferation studies were performed by MTT assays and cell cycle analyses were performed by flow cytometry. Retinoblastoma activity was measured by luciferase assays and proteins levels and activity were analysed by Western blot or immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have established a new cell line from ascitic efussion of a colon cancer patient who did not respond to 5-fluorouracil or irinotecan. HGUE-C-1 cells did not show microsatellite instability and did not harbour mutations in KRAS, BRAF, PI3KCA or TP53. However, these cells showed loss of heterozygosity affecting Adenomatous Polyposis Coli and nuclear staining of β-catenin protein. The HGUE-C-1 cell line was sensitive to erlotinib, gefitinib, NVP-BEZ235, rapamycin and trichostatin, among other drugs, but partially resistant to heat shock protein inhibitors and highly resistant to AZD-6244 and oxaliplatin, even though the patient from which this cell line was derived had not been exposed to these drugs. Molecular characterization of this cell line revealed low expression levels and activity of Retinoblastoma protein and elevated basal levels of Erk1/2 activity and p70S6K expression and activity, which may be related to chemoresistance mechanisms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HGUE-C-1 represents a novel and peculiar colon carcinoma model to study chemoresistance to chemotherapeutic agents and to novel anti-neoplasic drugs that interrupt signalling pathways such as the APC/βcatenin, Ras/Raf/Mek/Erk, PI3K/mTOR/p70S6K pathways as well as histone regulation mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain. grassosilvina@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Silvina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grasso
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain. imlacaci@umh.es.|Unidad AECC de Investigación Traslacional en Cáncer, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, 30120, Murcia, Spain. imlacaci@umh.es.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martínez-Lacaci
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, 03203 Elche, Alicante, Spain. barbera_vicjua@gva.es.
authors.forename: Víctor Manuel
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Barberá
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, 03203 Elche, Alicante, Spain. castillejo.ade@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Adela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castillejo
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, 03203 Elche, Alicante, Spain. soto_jos@gva.es.
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación, Hospital General Universitario de Elche, 03203 Elche, Alicante, Spain. j.gallegoplazas@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gallego-Plazas
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, 30120, Murcia, Spain. sagona@terra.com.
authors.forename: Natividad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: López-Riquelme
authors.affiliation: Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunidad Valenciana (FISABIO), Hospital General Universitario de Elche, 03203 Elche, Alicante, Spain. pgarcia@umh.es.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García-Morales
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, 03550 San Juan, Alicante, Spain. trini_mata@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Trinidad
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mata-Balaguer
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain. pepejoseferragut@gmail.com.
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ferragut
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad Miguel Hernández, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain. msaceda@umh.es.|Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunidad Valenciana (FISABIO), Hospital General Universitario de Elche, 03203 Elche, Alicante, Spain. msaceda@umh.es.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saceda
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D015415:Biomarkers; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053842:Microsatellite Instability; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D015415:Biomarkers; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors