title: Pancreatic Acinar Cell 3-Dimensional Culture.
abstract: Normal pancreatic acinar cells are difficult to maintain on traditional plastic culture surfaces due to their physical properties of housing large quantities of digestive enzymes and the formation of intercellular tight junctions and gap junctions (Apte and Wilson 2005; Rukstaliset al., 2003). However, placing primary acinar cells within a 3-dimensional matrix (3D-culture) maintains the cells for sufficient time so that they can be monitored for physiological changes to different stimuli. We have used a modified collagen 3D-culture system that has been adapted from Meanset al. (2005) to model the very early events associated with pancreatic cancer development. In this model, KrasG12D-expressing pancreatic acinar cells, or wildtype acinar cells treated with EGFR-dependent growth factors (i.e., TGFα), convert to ductal cysts that mimic the acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) stage that precedes formation of Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (PanIN) and Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) (Meanset al., 2005; Shiet al., 2013).
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
authors.forename: Chunjing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Biological Sciences Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Konieczny