Widely used prostate carcinoma cell lines share common origins.
BACKGROUND
Cross-contamination is a persistent problem in the establishment and maintenance of mammalian cell lines. The observation that the cell lines PC-3, ALVA-31, and PPC-1 all have a homozygous deletion of the alpha-catenin gene prompted us to investigate the uniqueness of these and several other widely used prostate carcinoma cell lines.


METHODS
The genetic backgrounds of the putative human prostate cell lines (ALVA-31, ALVA-41, BPH-1, DU 145, JCA-1, LAPC-4, LNCaP, NCI-H660, ND-1, PC-3, PC-3MM2, PC-346C, PPC-1, and TSU-Pr1) were analyzed by cytogenetics, mutation analysis, and DNA profiling.


RESULTS
Similarities between several groups of cell lines were found. ALVA-31, ALVA-41, PC-3, PC-3MM2, and PPC-1 all have a deletion of a C in codon 138 of the p53 gene and show almost identical DNA profiles. The ND-1 cell line has two p53 mutations that are identical to the mutations found in DU 145. These two cell lines also share a high number of structural chromosomal abnormalities and nearly identical DNA profiles. The cell lines TSU-Pr1 and JCA-1 share an identical p53 mutation in exon 5 and identical DNA profiles.


CONCLUSIONS
Several widely used prostate carcinoma cell lines apparently have identities in common. The knowledge that some of these cell lines are derivatives of one another prompts re-evaluation of previously obtained results.
van Bokhoven
A
A
Department of Pathology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado 80262, USA.
Varella-Garcia
M
M
Korch
C
C
Hessels
D
D
Miller
G J
GJ
D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics*; D003582:Cytogenetics; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D017931:DNA Primers; D052138:Genes, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D011905:Genes, ras; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000166:cytology*; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000235:genetics
D017931:DNA Primers; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53