The SUM-102 line is interesting for several reasons. First, while the patient presented with what was thought to be locally advanced breast cancer based on her mammograms, the mastectomy specimen indicated that she had extensive intraductal carcinoma (DCIS) with areas of micro-invasion. The characteristics of the cell line isolated from this specimen are consistent with this diagnosis for the following reasons. First, the cells are TP53 wild type. Second, the cells are growth factor dependent and rely on exogenous EGF for proliferation in culture. The only genomic alteration in a driving oncogene so far discovered in this cell line is a PIK3CA mutation, the classic p.H1047R. Based on expression profiling, SUM-102 cells are classified as an HMEC-like cell line .
An interesting feature of this cell line, which we published on, concerned our observation that in order to culture the cells in a serum-free medium that was devoid of EGF, progesterone supplementation of the medium was required and we then discovered that in the presence of progesterone the cells synthesized heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HBEGF). This autocrine signaling pathway could support the growth of the cells in EGF free medium.
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