Morphological and functional effects of antisense RNA to the deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC) gene in a pancreatic carcinoma cell line

To investigate the role of the deleted in colorectal carcinoma gene (DCC) in cells of pancreatic origin (MiaPaCa-2) we established cell lines stably expressing DCC antisense RNA. Expression of DCC antisense RNA led to striking alterations in the MiaPaCa-2 cell line. Antisense transfectants had nearly lost adherence and had acquired a spherical morphology. The ordered structure of actin bundles in the parental cell line had been lost largely in DCC antisense RNA expressing cell clones. Moreover, the antisense DCC transfected cells displayed a decreased growth rate, a decrease of cells in G1 phase and an accumulation in S phase of the cell cycle. These heavily altered characteristics of MiaPaCa-2 cells expressing DCC antisense RNA point to a yet unknown role for DCC in an important intracellular pathway.