Cancer Cell Lines Are Useful Model Systems for Medical Research

Abstract

Cell lines are in vitro model systems that are widely used in different fields of medical research, especially basic cancer research and drug discovery. Their usefulness is primarily linked to their ability to provide an indefinite source of biological material for experimental purposes. Under the right conditions and with appropriate controls, authenticated cancer cell lines retain most of the genetic properties of the cancer of origin. During the last few years, comparing genomic data of most cancer cell lines has corroborated this statement and those that were observed studying the tumoral tissue equivalents included in the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We are at the disposal of comprehensive open access cell line datasets describing their molecular and cellular alterations at an unprecedented level of accuracy. This aspect, in association with the possibility of setting up accurate culture conditions that mimic the in vivo microenvironment (e.g., three-dimensional (3D) coculture), has strengthened the importance of cancer cell lines for continuing to sustain medical research fields. However, it is important to consider that the appropriate use of cell lines needs to follow established guidelines for guaranteed data reproducibility and quality, and to prevent the occurrence of detrimental events (i.e., those that are linked to cross-contamination and mycoplasma contamination)

miR-34c-3p targets CDK1 a synthetic lethality partner of KRAS in non-small cell lung cancer

“…All the human NSCLC cell lines were purchased from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). A549, CALU-1, and HCC827 cells were grown in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), 2 mM L-glutamine, and 100 U/ml penicillin/streptomycin [19]. For primary cell-culture experiments, human lung biopsies were obtained from Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, Università degli Studi della Campania, Naples, Italy, and processed as indicated elsewhere [20].…”

miR-216a Acts as a Negative Regulator of Breast Cancer by Modulating Stemness Properties and Tumor Microenvironment

“…Breast tumor differentiated cells from two patients (#3,#4) and BTSCs (Breast tumor stem cells) were obtained as previously described [26,45], and were used for the miR array. T47D (ER-positive) and MDA-MB-MB-231 (TNBC) differentiated cells were grown in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), 2 mM L-glutamine and 100 U/mL penicillin/streptomycin [46]. For mammosphere cultures, single cells were plated at a density of 1,000 cells/mL for T47D and 50,000/mL for MDA-MB-231.…”

Anti-Stress, Glial- and Neuro-Differentiation Potential of Resveratrol: Characterization by Cellular, Biochemical and Imaging Assays

“…It has been established that the brain functions deteriorate with prolonged exposure to a variety of stresses [12]. Brain-derived cells in culture have been established as a reliable model to study the molecular mechanism of stress-induced damage and its prevention/recovery by natural and synthetic reagents [5,15,39]. In these premises, we used C6 cells in conjunction with a variety of stress models including oxidative stress, smoke, hypoxia, heat-stress, metal and emotional stress to investigate the anti-stress potential of resveratrol.…”