title: Characterization of a human ovarian carcinoma cell line (NIH:OVCAR-3) with androgen and estrogen receptors.
abstract: A cell line, NIH:OVCAR-3, has been established from the malignant ascites of a patient with progressive adenocarcinoma of the ovary after combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, and cisplatin. OVCAR-3 grows as a cobblestone-like monolayer with foci of multilayering, is tumorigenic in athymic mice, clones in agarose, and has an abnormal karyotype which includes a homogeneous staining region and a double minute chromosome. The cultured cells and xenografts contain cytoplasmic androgen- and estrogen-binding macromolecules with the specificity of the respective steroid hormone receptors. These components have sedimentation coefficients of 7 to 9S in low-salt sucrose-density gradients, have dissociation constants of 250 and 9.6 pM, and are present at concentrations of 30 and 28 fmol/mg cytosol protein characteristic of androgen and estrogen receptors, respectively. OVCAR-3 is resistant in vitro to clinically relevant concentrations of Adriamycin (5 X 10(-8) M), melphalan (5 X 10(-6) M), and cisplatin (5 X 10(-7) M) with survival compared to untreated controls of 43, 45, and 77%, respectively. Furthermore, there are multiple histological similarities between the patient's original tumor, the cell line, and the transplantable tumor. These data indicate that OVCAR-3 may be of use for investigations as to the significance of androgens and estrogens and the mechanisms of cytotoxic drug resistance in ovarian cancer.
mesh_terms: D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000633:toxicity; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000633:toxicity; D004958:Estradiol / Q000378:metabolism; D004963:Estrenes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D008558:Melphalan / Q000633:toxicity; D015741:Metribolone; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011987:Receptors, Steroid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004963:Estrenes; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011987:Receptors, Steroid; D015741:Metribolone; D004958:Estradiol; D004317:Doxorubicin; D002945:Cisplatin; D008558:Melphalan