A549 Transfection Reagent (Lung Carcinoma, CCL-185)

A549 is an adenocarcinomic cell line that was established in 1972 from the lung tissue of a 58-year-old Caucasian male. A549 is categorized as a non-small-cell lung carcinoma, which is more common yet less aggressive than small cell lung carcinoma. A549 cells are hypotriploid, have a modal chromosome number of 66, and exhibit an epithelial-like morphology with adherent cultural properties. A549 cells are suitable transfection hosts for  in vivo  and  in vitro  models, and an A549 Transfection Reagent can be found at Altogen Biosystems . An A549 xenograft model drawn from an  in vivo  transfection can be found here . The A549 cell line widely serves as a model for the study of not only lung adenocarcinoma, but also respiratory infections, asbestos exposure, and viral infections stemming from asthma.

In the following study, researchers investigate the cytotoxic effects of silver nitrate on A549 cells. MTT assay, flow cytometry, immunocytochemical, confocal and transmission electron microscopy, and microarray assays were used to analyze the effects of silver nitrate. Results show that silver nitrate exhibit inhibitory effects against A549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, ultimately inducing apoptosis. These results suggest that silver nitrate may be used as an effective therapeutic agent against lung cancer. [ LINK ]

In the following study, researchers isolate and characterize side population (SP) cells that are present in the A549 cancer cell line. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting, assays, and a chemoresistance analysis were used to isolate and differentiate SP and non-SP (NSP) cells. Results show that SP cells account for 1.09% of live A549 cells and produced both SP and NSP cells. SP cells also exhibited improved invasive ability and had higher levels of chemoresistance compared to NSP cells in vitro.  Therefore, SP cells isolated from the A549 cell line exhibited more tumorigenicity, along with invasive ability and chemoresistance, than NSP cells. [ LINK ]

Metadherin (MTDH) is a novel oncoprotein that promotes the survival and proliferation of lung cancer cells when over-expressed. In this study, researchers use staining assays and Western blotting analysis to investigate the anti-tumor effect of evodiamine in A549 cells, as well as its inhibitory effect on the MTDH pathway. Results show that evodiamine inhibits A549 cells by increasing the expression of proapoptotic protein Bax and therefore inducing apoptosis. Evodiamine consequently suppresses the proliferation of A549 cells through the inhibition of MTDH expression and induction of apoptosis. [ LINK ]