What are the advantages of using an hTERT cell line over cancer cell lines?
Cancer cell lines often contain numerous genetic mutations and exhibit an unstable genotype. hTERT immortalized cell lines exhibit a stable genotype and do not show changes associated with transformation such as tumorigenicity or growth in soft agar. hTERT immortalized cells usually retain normal growth responses to serum and mitogens. In many studies, hTERT immortalized cells have been induced to become differentiated cell types, exhibiting tissue-specific features, differentiation-specific proteins, and forming structures that resemble those formed in vivo. Most cancer cell lines exhibit significantly different phenotypic and intracellular protein expression patterns compared to normal cells.
