There are a variety of Different PC3 cell lines derived from the original PC3 cell line. The most common include PC3-PR Cells, PC-3M Cells, PC3-EGFP Cells, PC3-Dox Cells, PC3-LacZ Cells, PC3-AR Cells. Each of these have different morphological and physiological properties but they all originate from the original PC3 cell derived from the 62-year old caucasian male. These cells allow researchers to develop strategies in order to treat prostate cancer that is resistant to traditional chemotherapy drugs.
PC-3M Cells (Metastatic) PC-3-M cells are a highly metastatic form of PC3 cells. They metastasize in a much more prolific fashion than regular PC3 cells. These cells are used in research to study the potential treatments of PC's that are highly metastatic. PC3-M is used in research from in-vitro to in-vivo model animals for cancer research. This cell line is able to research the most dangerous, advanced forms of
pancreatic cancer, as the high metastasis potential will allow these cells to spread throughout the body in a rapid fashion.
PC3-EGFP Cells (Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein) PC3-EGFP are PC3 cells that have been modified in order to express green fluorescent proteins at a higher rate. This is visible when EGFP expression levels are analyzed. This allows for live tracking of PC3 cells as well as real time imaging. This can be especially useful when studying the proliferation as well as the drug response in PC3 cells.
PC3-Dox Cells PC3-Dox cells are modified to be resistant to
Doxorubicin. This cell line is used to study multidrug resistance (MDR) in PC3. Specifically miR-21 research is based on this lineage of cells in order to determine if it is possible to reverse (MDR) through the employment of this drug. Additionally these cells look at if it is possible to resensitize PC3 cells to Doxorubicin.
PC3-Ras Cells PC3-Ras cells are modified in order to express the oncogene ras. Ras is involved in the activation of downstream effectors that play a role in DNA transcription. This modification allows researchers to study the role of Ras signaling in prostate cancer. This is very important to studying the processes of tumor progression, metastasis, and drug resistance in pancreatic cancer cells, as it is tied to mitosis. ==Applications in science==