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#HeLa cells

3 public questions tagged with this topic.

Animal Tissue Culture 3

HeLa cells show which morphology?

HeLa displays epithelial-like morphology reflecting origin from cervical keratinocytes. In vitro, HeLa forms adherent monolayer of polygonal cells with cobblestone pattern, distinct cell borders, prominent nucleoli, and high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio typical of carcinoma. Cells lack extensive spindle architecture seen in fibroblast-like populations such as NIH-3T3 which grow elongated and align in parallel arrays. HeLa retains some epithelial characteristics including expression of cytokeratins, presence of microvilli on apical surface, and formation of weak tight junctions but fails to dev

Ref: ATCC CCL-2 HeLa morphology epithelial-like; Freshney Ch.16 Epithelial vs fibroblast morphology characteristics.

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Animal Tissue Culture 3

HeLa cells were originally derived from:

HeLa cell line is earliest and most famous continuous human line, established in February 1951 from epithelial cells of cervical adenocarcinoma biopsied from Henrietta Lacks, 31-year-old African-American patient at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Surgeon Howard Jones collected tissue during diagnosis, and George Gey cultured explant demonstrating unprecedented robust growth doubling every 24 hours without feeder cells. Cytogenetic studies reveal hypotriploid chromosome number 76-80 with numerous translocations, and integration of human papillomavirus type 18 genome producing viral oncoproteins E6 degr

Ref: Scherer et al J Exp Med 1953 HeLa cervical carcinoma origin; Skloot The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2010; ATCC CCL-2 HeLa HPV-18.

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Cytoskeleton

Which GTPase is responsible for actin cytoskeleton rearrangements in HeLa cells?

Signal transduction from extracellular matrix and chemokines to actin cytoskeleton uses small GTPases of Rho subgroup cycling between GDP bound passive cytosolic state bound to GDI and GTP active membrane state driven by GEFs. In HeLa cervical carcinoma cells stimulated with lysophosphatidic acid or serum, RhoA GTP rapidly accumulates activating effectors ROCK1 2 that phosphorylate myosin light chain and LIMK restricting cofilin severing, and mDia1 formin nucleating unbranched filaments. Outcome is assembly of contractile stress fibers anchored at focal adhesions and enhanced cortical tension.

Ref: Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 7th ed., Chapter 16: Rho GTPases and Actin Remodeling.

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