Model Introduction
PANC-1-luc is a stably luciferase-expressing human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell line derived from the parental PANC-1 cell line, which was originally established from the pancreatic carcinoma tissue of a 56-year-old male patient. Through lentiviral transduction with a firefly luciferase (Luc2) reporter gene, PANC-1-luc cells constitutively express luciferase enzyme, enabling real-time, non-invasive in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) in living mice. This cell line retains the highly aggressive, poorly differentiated and mesenchymal phenotype of parental PANC-1, carries oncogenic KRAS mutation and exhibits strong invasive and metastatic capacity. The subcutaneous xenograft mouse model established with PANC-1-luc cells is a standard preclinical in vivo model for pancreatic cancer research, combining conventional caliper-based tumor volume measurement with longitudinal bioluminescence photon-flux quantification. It is widely applied in anti-tumor drug screening, targeted therapy evaluation, orthotopic pancreatic cancer model validation, metastasis research and nanoparticle delivery system tracking.
Experimental Principle
Immunodeficient BALB/c nude mice lack mature functional T lymphocytes and cannot mount effective cellular immune rejection against human-derived tumor xenografts. After harvesting PANC-1-luc cells in logarithmic growth phase and preparing a single-cell suspension, the suspension is subcutaneously inoculated into the dorsal flank of recipient mice. Tumor cells progressively proliferate in subcutaneous tissue and recruit host stromal vasculature, forming solid tumor masses. Upon intraperitoneal injection of D-luciferin substrate, luciferase expressed by tumor cells catalyzes the substrate to emit bioluminescence photons, which are captured by an in vivo imaging system. Photon flux (photons/sec) quantitatively reflects tumor burden, enabling longitudinal non-invasive monitoring of tumor growth and metastasis. Regular measurement of tumor volume, body weight and bioluminescence signal allows quantitative assessment of in vivo tumor growth kinetics and anti-tumor efficacy of test compounds.
Model Identification & Detection Indicators
- Tumor volume measurement: Starting from the day of visible tumor formation, the longest tumor diameter (L) and shortest diameter (W) are measured every 2–3 days using a vernier caliper. Tumor volume is calculated as: TV (mm³) = 0.5 × L × W².
- Bioluminescence imaging (BLI): D-luciferin potassium salt is intraperitoneally injected at 150 mg/kg body weight. After 10–15 minutes of substrate circulation, mice are imaged under isoflurane anesthesia using an in vivo imaging system. Regions of interest (ROI) are drawn around the tumor site, and photon flux (photons/sec) is quantified. BLI is performed once or twice weekly to longitudinally track tumor burden and detect occult metastasis.
- Body weight monitoring: Body weight of each mouse is recorded synchronously, serving as an indicator of systemic toxicity induced by tumor burden or drug treatment.
- Model success criteria: The expected tumor formation rate of the PANC-1-luc subcutaneous xenograft model is ≥95%. When tumor volume reaches 100–150 mm³ at approximately day 10–16 post inoculation, the model is considered successfully established and eligible for randomized grouping and therapeutic intervention.
- Histopathological verification: At the experimental endpoint, tumor tissues are excised, fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and embedded in paraffin. H&E staining confirms poorly differentiated ductal adenocarcinoma morphology. Immunohistochemistry detects biomarkers including CK19, vimentin, Ki-67 and luciferase to verify tumor origin, mesenchymal phenotype and proliferative activity.
Model Advantages
- PANC-1-luc cells carry a stably integrated luciferase reporter, enabling real-time, non-invasive and quantitative longitudinal monitoring of tumor growth and occult metastasis by BLI without sacrificing animals at each time point.
- PANC-1 is one of the most highly tumorigenic and aggressive PDAC cell lines, with rapid tumor formation, near-100% take rate and short experimental cycle, suitable for high-throughput in vivo drug screening.
- The model combines caliper measurement (for subcutaneous tumors) and BLI photon flux (for deep or orthotopic tumors), providing dual-modal readouts for robust pharmacodynamic evaluation.
- PANC-1-luc retains KRAS mutation and mesenchymal phenotype, making it suitable for studying aggressive PDAC biology, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastatic cascade.
Application Scenarios
- In vivo anti-tumor activity evaluation of small-molecule compounds, chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., gemcitabine, FOLFIRINOX) and targeted drugs against pancreatic cancer.
- Longitudinal, non-invasive pharmacodynamic monitoring using BLI photon flux for orthotopic pancreatic cancer model and experimental metastasis model studies.
- Preclinical assessment of combination regimens, anti-stromal therapy, oncolytic virus therapy and nanoparticle/liposomal drug delivery systems for PDAC.
- Mechanistic research on pancreatic cancer invasion, metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and KRAS-driven signaling pathways.
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