DSL-6A-C1 Cells

The DSL-6A/C1 cell line is a pancreatic ductal cell line originally derived from the DSL-6 transplantable acinar cell carcinoma, a tumor established from a primary acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas in a male Lewis rat. This rat was exposed to azaserine intraperitoneally, leading to the development of the tumor. Initially, upon establishment in culture, DSL-6A/C1 cells retained the capability to produce amylase, a characteristic exocrine enzyme of acinar cells. However, this production ceased within one to two weeks of culture. Over time, as the DSL-6A/C1 cells were maintained in culture and subjected to regrafting experiments, they underwent a notable phenotypic transformation. The cells lost structural and immunohistochemical markers that are typical of acinar cells and instead began expressing markers indicative of ductal cell phenotype. One of the key markers acquired during this transformation is the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR), which is commonly associated with ductal cells in the pancreas. This shift in marker expression suggests a significant plasticity in the cell line, reflecting changes in cell identity and function that can occur in response to the in vitro environment.