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Establishment and characterisation of new cell lines from human breast tumours initially established as tumour xenografts in NMRI nude mice

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Abstract

Human breast cancer cell lines are required asmodels for use in the understanding of breastcarcinoma, and for improving the ability of cellscreens to detect appropriate anti-cancer agents. Four humanbreast cancer cell lines (MT-1, MaTu, MT-3 andMC4000) were established from human tumour xenografts grownin nude mice. All the lines were shownto be of human origin by karyotype analysis,were epithelial in morphology by both light andelectron microscopy, were positive for cytokeratin 18, andwere free from mycoplasma, bacterial, yeast and fungalcontamination. All of the new lines were shownto be ER and PgR negative, while usingthe same procedures (i.e. radioligand binding and immunohistochemicalstaining) the positive control cell line MCF-7 wasshown to be positive. MaTu had been previouslyreported as ER and PgR positive in vivoand it may be that this characteristic hadbeen lost due to in vitro selection pressures.The growth rates of all the new breastcancer cell lines were similar and within thelimits required for incorporation into a panel forscreening anticancer drugs by a microtetrazolium based, colorimetricgrowth inhibition assay. Three of the lines (MT-1,MaTu and MC4000) were also able to growinto macroscopic colonies for use in a non-agarclonogenic assay. In addition, both MT-1 and MaTuformed spheroids and were clonogenic in soft-agar. Thenew lines demonstrated a wide range of sensitivitiesto anticancer agents commonly used in the treatmentof breast cancer, and together with their correspondingxenografts are providing additional systems for the evaluationof new compounds.

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Hambly, R.J., Double, J.A., Thompson, M.J. et al. Establishment and characterisation of new cell lines from human breast tumours initially established as tumour xenografts in NMRI nude mice. Breast Cancer Res Treat 43, 247–258 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005756632293

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