VCaP cells are a

cell line 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 human

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

commonly used in the field of

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...

. The tissue was harvested at autopsy from a metastatic lesion to a lumbar vertebrae of a 59 year old Caucasian male with hormone refractory prostate cancer in 1997, which was then xenografted into

SCID mice The severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is a severe immunodeficiency genetic disorder that is characterized by the complete inability of the adaptive immune system to mount, coordinate, and sustain an appropriate immune response, usually due to ...

and later harvested and plated on tissue culture dishes, where it can be propagated as an immortalized prostate cancer cell line.

Characteristics

VCaP are an adherent, epithelial cell line with high

Androgen receptor The androgen receptor (AR), also known as NR3C4 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3, group C, member 4), is a type of nuclear receptor that is activated by binding any of the androgenic hormones, including testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, in th ...

and

Prostate specific antigen The prostate is an accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found in all male mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemically, and physiological ...

expression. VCaP are the only prostate cancer cell model that express the

splice variant, AR-V7, and the

TMPRSS2 Transmembrane protease, serine 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the ''TMPRSS2'' gene. It belongs to the TMPRSS family of proteins, whose members are transmembrane proteins which have a serine protease activity. The TMPRSS2 protein is ...

ERG The erg is a unit of energy equal to 10−7joules (100Nano-, nJ). It is not an SI unit, instead originating from the centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS). Its name is derived from (), a Greek language, Greek word meaning 'work' or ' ...

gene fusion. The cells have an approximate doubling time of 53 hours, and require more specific culture conditions than other prostate cancer cell lines. VCaP cells are XMRV virus positive and produce the mouse xenotropic retrovirus Bxv-1, likely acquired during passaging in infected mice.

References

External links

Cellosaurus entry for VCaP
Human cell lines Prostate cancer {{cell-biology-stub