Establishment and Usage of Leukemia-Lymphoma Cell Lines--Review

Abstract

Cancer cell lines are an indispensable tool in the cancer research. Since the first human cell line, HeLa was established in the 1950s, thousands of cancer cell lines have been established, including 637 characterized leukemia-lymphoma cell lines. The probability to successfully establish cancer cell lines is a low by traditional methods, and the addition of regulatory factors is often required. However, a novel "conditional reprogramming" technology can improve this situction. The establishment and description of a new cell line should be consistent with international guidelines. Cancer cell lines are mainly used in the research of tumor pathogenesis and drug development. Scientists have developed many kinds of cell line panels which can be used for the high-throughput screening of anticancer drugs. Mycoplasma contamination and/or cross-contamination from other cells should be avoided during the use of cell lines. The establishment of a cell model passport database can prevent those misidentifications. In this review, the types, establishment and usage of leukemia-lymphoma cell lines as well as points of attention when using them are summarized briefly.