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Article

Proteomic Characterization of Primary Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines Following Long-Term Exposure to Gemcitabine

by
Manoj Amrutkar
1,*,
Yuchuan Li
2,
Anette Vefferstad Finstadsveen
1,
Caroline S. Verbeke
1,2 and
Ivar P. Gladhaug
2
1
Department of Pathology, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
2
Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Proteomes 2025, 13(4), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/proteomes13040048
Submission received: 21 August 2025 / Revised: 16 September 2025 / Accepted: 28 September 2025 / Published: 1 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proteomics in Chronic Diseases: Issues and Challenges)

Abstract

Background: Gemcitabine (GEM) remains a cornerstone in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Upon exposure to GEM, pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) tend to adapt quickly to outcompete drug-induced cytotoxicity, thereby contributing to treatment failure. Thus, understanding GEM-induced molecular changes in PCCs is important. Methods: Three primary PCC lines (PCC-1, PCC-2, PCC-7) and Mia PaCa-2 cultured for 40 passages (p) in the absence (control) or presence of GEM (GemR) were assessed for phenotypic changes. Proteome profiles for all PCCs at p10, p20, p25, p30, p35, and p40 were obtained using mass spectrometry (MS). Protein expression was determined using immunoblotting. Differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were evaluated for enrichment of functional and biological attributes and protein–protein interactions. Results: GEM sensitivity and growth were both reduced in GemR versus paired controls for all four PCC lines. MS mapped > 7000 proteins in each PCC line, and the abundance of 70–83% of these was found to be significantly altered when comparing all sample groups. Proteomic changes in GemR versus paired controls differed remarkably among the PCCs and were affected by passaging and treatment duration. DAPs at p40 were mostly related to metabolic pathways, including nucleotide metabolism and diverse cell growth processes. Several closely related DAPs and multiple hub proteins in each PCC line were identified. Conclusions: Overall, this study revealed cell-line-specific, heterogeneous changes in proteome profiles of PCCs following their long-term exposure to GEM, and these were likely affected by treatment duration, dosage, and passaging.
Keywords: pancreatic cancer; proteomics; mass spectrometry; gemcitabine sensitivity pancreatic cancer; proteomics; mass spectrometry; gemcitabine sensitivity
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MDPI and ACS Style

Amrutkar, M.; Li, Y.; Finstadsveen, A.V.; Verbeke, C.S.; Gladhaug, I.P. Proteomic Characterization of Primary Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines Following Long-Term Exposure to Gemcitabine. Proteomes 2025, 13, 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/proteomes13040048

AMA Style

Amrutkar M, Li Y, Finstadsveen AV, Verbeke CS, Gladhaug IP. Proteomic Characterization of Primary Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines Following Long-Term Exposure to Gemcitabine. Proteomes. 2025; 13(4):48. https://doi.org/10.3390/proteomes13040048

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amrutkar, Manoj, Yuchuan Li, Anette Vefferstad Finstadsveen, Caroline S. Verbeke, and Ivar P. Gladhaug. 2025. "Proteomic Characterization of Primary Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines Following Long-Term Exposure to Gemcitabine" Proteomes 13, no. 4: 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/proteomes13040048

APA Style

Amrutkar, M., Li, Y., Finstadsveen, A. V., Verbeke, C. S., & Gladhaug, I. P. (2025). Proteomic Characterization of Primary Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines Following Long-Term Exposure to Gemcitabine. Proteomes, 13(4), 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/proteomes13040048

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