PtK₂ cells are a

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

derived from male

long-nosed potoroo The long-nosed potoroo (''Potorous tridactylus'') is a small, hopping, gerbil-like mammal native to forests and shrubland of southeastern Australia and Tasmania. A member of the rat-kangaroo family (Potoroidae), it lives alone and digs at night f ...

(''Potorous tridactylis'') epithelial kidney cells. This cell line is used for a variety of applications in biomedical research but is particularly popular as a model for

mitosis In cell biology, mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maint ...

Origin

The PtK₂ cell line was established by Kirsten Walen and Spencer Brown in 1962. Cells from the rat kangaroo were selected as the source of a cell line because this species has only a small number of chromosomes and these chromosomes are easily visualized under a microscope; mitosis becomes easy to observe, and the structural aspects of cell division can be closely examined.

Characteristics

PtK₂ cells are relatively large, and when grown in a monolayer, stay flat throughout the cell cycle - unlike many cells that round up during mitosis. PtK2 cells are resistant to adenovirus 5, coxsackievirus B5, and poliovirus 2. They are susceptible to coxsackievirus A9, herpes simplex, vaccinia, and vesicular stomatitis (Ogden strain). PtK₂ cells contain intermediate filaments composed of

Keratin Keratin () is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as ''scleroproteins''. Alpha-keratin (α-keratin) is a type of keratin found in vertebrates. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, ...

References

External links

{{Commons category
Cellosaurus entry for Ptk2
Marsupial cell lines