Culture of pancreatic AR42J cell for use as a model for acinar cell function

Abstract

AR42J cells derive initially from a transplantable tumour of a rat exocrine pancreas (20). This line is tumorigenic in nude mice, and is the only cell line currently available that, in culture, maintains many characteristics of normal pancreatic acinar cells, such as calcium (Ca) signalling, the synthesis and secretion of digestive enzymes, protein expression, growth and proliferation (7, 33). In fact, AR42J cell receptor expression and signal transduction mechanisms parallel those of pancreatic acinar cells. Thus, this cell line has been widely used as an “in vitro” model to study the exocrine pancreas (for references, please check table 1). We have recently used this cell line to study the effects of melatonin on Ca signalling, mitochondrial physiology and cell viability (9, 12). In these studies we have applied the protocol described here.