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  • Benten, Daniel; Behrang, Yasmin; Unrau, Ludmilla; Weissmann, Victoria; Wolters-Eisfeld, Gerrit; Burdak-Rothkamm, Susanne; Stahl, Felix R; Anlauf, Martin; Grabowski, Patricia; Möbs, Markus; Dieckhoff, Jan; Sipos, Bence; Fahl, Martina; Eggers, Corinna; Perez, Daniel; Bockhorn, Maximillian; Izbicki, Jakob R; Lohse, Ansgar W; Schrader, Jörg

    Molecular cancer research, 03/2018, Volume: 16, Issue: 3
    Journal Article

    Clinical options for systemic therapy of neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are limited. Development of new drugs requires suitable representative and model systems. So far, the unavailability of a human model with a well-differentiated phenotype and typical growth characteristics has impaired preclinical research in NET. Herein, we establish and characterize a lymph node-derived cell line (NT-3) from a male patient with well-differentiated pancreatic NET. Neuroendocrine differentiation and tumor biology was compared with existing NET cell lines BON and QGP-1. growth was assessed in a xenograft mouse model. The neuroendocrine identity of NT-3 was verified by expression of multiple NET-specific markers, which were highly expressed in NT-3 compared with BON and QGP-1. In addition, NT-3 expressed and secreted insulin. Until now, this well-differentiated phenotype is stable since 58 passages. The proliferative labeling index, measured by Ki-67, of 14.6% ± 1.0% in NT-3 is akin to the original tumor (15%-20%), and was lower than in BON (80.6% ± 3.3%) and QGP-1 (82.6% ± 1.0%). NT-3 highly expressed somatostatin receptors (SSTRs: 1, 2, 3, and 5). Upon subcutaneous transplantation of NT-3 cells, recipient mice developed tumors with an efficient tumor take rate (94%) and growth rate (139% ± 13%) by 4 weeks. Importantly, morphology and neuroendocrine marker expression of xenograft tumors resembled the original human tumor. High expression of somatostatin receptors and a well-differentiated phenotype as well as a slow growth rate qualify the new cell line as a relevant model to study neuroendocrine tumor biology and to develop new tumor treatments. .