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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Aug 13.
Published in final edited form as: Oncogene. 2013 Feb 4;33(7):823–831. doi: 10.1038/onc.2013.3

Figure 7. Acinar cells give rise to ductal cysts in response to HB-EGF or Kras mutation.

Figure 7

Acinar-enriched pancreatic cells were isolated by collagenase digestion, embedded in collagen matrix, and treated with recombinant HB-EGF or PBS vehicle on days 0, 1 and 3. Cells were then analyzed on day 4. A. Without HB-EGF, many wildtype cells maintained acinar identity as indicated by high eosin uptake (dark pink). B. Wildtype cells all transdifferentiated into ductal cysts in the presence of HB-EGF. C. Even without HB-EGF and in the presence of only 1% fetal bovine serum, all acinar cells expressing KrasG12D transdifferentiated into ductal cysts. Similarly to wildtype cells treated with HB-EGF, cells were flat cuboidal or simple squamous in morphology. D. In the presence of HB-EGF, KrasG12D-expressing cells also became ductal cysts but exhibited a higher cytoplasm/nucleus ratio with nuclei that were located basally, apically or centrally.