NUGC-3

The NUGC-3 cell line is a human-derived epithelial model established from a metastatic lymph node of a patient with gastric adenocarcinoma (GC). It represents a poorly differentiated (or diffuse-type) subtype according to the Lauren classification, which is often associated with aggressive behavior, early metastasis, and a less favorable prognosis compared to the intestinal-type. As a cell line derived from a metastatic site, NUGC-3 inherently models the advanced, disseminated stage of the disease, providing a critical tool for studying the mechanisms underlying gastric cancer progression and therapeutic resistance.

NUGC-3 cells exhibit an adherent, epithelial-like morphology in culture, though they may display a somewhat scattered growth pattern consistent with diffuse-type characteristics. A key molecular feature is its reported microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) status, resulting from deficient DNA mismatch repair (dMMR). This genetic trait leads to a high tumor mutational burden (TMB), which has significant implications for the tumor's biological behavior and its potential response to immunotherapy. NUGC-3 is tumorigenic in immunocompromised mice, capable of forming tumors in vivo, and it generally retains a wild-type status for the TP53 gene, distinguishing it from many other GC models that harbor TP53 mutations.