3T3 cells are several

cell lines An immortalised cell line is a population of cells from a multicellular organism that would normally not proliferate indefinitely but, due to mutation, have evaded normal cellular senescence and instead can keep undergoing division. The cells ...

of mouse embryonic

fibroblast A fibroblast is a type of cell (biology), biological cell typically with a spindle shape that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen, produces the structural framework (Stroma (tissue), stroma) for animal Tissue (biology), tissues, and ...

s. The original 3T3 cell line (3T3-Swiss albino) was established in 1962 by two scientists then at the Department of Pathology in the

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

School of Medicine, George Todaro and Howard Green. Todaro and Green originally obtained their 3T3 cells from Swiss albino mouse embryo tissue. Later, as a principal investigator position at the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, Todaro repeated the isolation procedure from the NIH Swiss mouse embryo with his students and established NIH-3T3 cell line.

Nomenclature

The '3T3' designation refers to the abbreviation of "3-day transfer, inoculum cells." This cell line was originally established from the primary mouse embryonic fibroblast cells that were cultured by the designated protocol, so-called '3T3 protocol'. The primary mouse embryonic fibroblast cells were transferred (the "T") every 3 days (the first "3"), and inoculated at the rigid density of cells per 20 cm² dish (the second "3") continuously. The spontaneously immortalized cells with stable growth rate were established after 20 to 30 generations in culture, and then named '3T3' cells. Since then, several cell lines have been established with this procotol: *3T3-Swiss albino, the original 1962 cell line **3T3-J2, a subclone of 3T3-Swiss albino, commonly used as feeders for

keratinocyte Keratinocytes are the primary type of cell found in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. In humans, they constitute 90% of epidermal skin cells. Basal cells in the basal layer (''stratum basale'') of the skin are sometimes referre ...

cultures ** 3T3-L1, a subclone of 3T3-Swiss albino, used as a model of

adipogenesis Adipogenesis is the formation of adipocytes (fat cells) from stem cells. It involves 2 phases, determination, and terminal differentiation. Determination is mesenchymal stem cells committing to the adipocyte precursor cells, also known as lipoblast ...

*NIH-3T3, also from Swiss albino mice *BALB/c-3T3 clone A31, from BALB/c mice

Characteristics

Swiss 3T3 can be inhibited by temazepam and other

benzodiazepine Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), colloquially known as "benzos", are a class of central nervous system (CNS) depressant, depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed t ...

s. These cells are also contact inhibited. The cells are sensitive to sarcoma virus and leukemia virus focus formation. 3T3 cells can be transformed with SV40 and some other

polyomavirus ''Polyomaviridae'' is a family of DNA viruses whose natural hosts are mammals and birds. As of 2024, there are eight recognized genera. Fourteen species are known to infect humans, while others, such as Simian Virus 40, have been identified i ...

es.NIH 3T3 Cell Line Origins, Characteristics, Expression, and Cytogenetics
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Culture characteristics

Adherent cells grow as a monolayer. A confluent monolayer yields 40,000 cells/cm².

Expression

Lysophosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC) induces AP-1 activity and c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity (JNK1) by a protein kinase C-independent pathway.

Cytogenetics

3T3 mouse cells are hypertriploid. The modal chromosome number is 68, which occurs in 30% of cells. Higher ploidies occur at a much lower rate of 2.4%.

References

External links

Cellosaurus entry for NIH 3T3Cellosaurus entry for 3T3-Swiss Albino
- a set of films of 3T3 cells in culture Non-terminally differentiated (blast) cells Rodent cell lines Alternatives to animal testing {{Cell-biology-stub