LLC-PK1 Cells
General information
Description | LLC-PK1 cells are a well-established and widely used cell line in biomedical research. These cells were derived from a healthy male pig's kidney, exhibiting typical epithelial morphology. The LLC-PK1 line is polarized and contains tight junctions, making it an ideal model for epithelial tissue. One of the critical features of LLC-PK1 cells is their ability to produce plasminogen activator, a substance that stimulates fibrinolysis. This property has made LLC-PK1 cells particularly valuable in thrombosis research. In recent years, plasminogen activator has been included in drugs used in thrombosis therapies since it facilitates the dissolution of small blood clots. In addition to producing plasminogen activators, LLC-PK1 cells produce large amounts of cytokeratin. This characteristic has made them popular for various pharmacologic and metabolic research investigations. The LLC-PK1 line has been used in drug metabolism, transport, toxicity, and interaction studies. LLC-PK1 cells are also frequently used in permeability assays. The mechanism of uracil transport differs depending on cell lines, with a Na+-independent system on the basolateral membrane in Caco-2 cells and both Na+-dependent and Na+-independent systems on the apical membrane in LLC-PK1 cells. Compared to other cell lines, LLC-PK1 cells share many characteristics of proximal tubular cells in vivo, including apical membrane microvilli, high activities of apical membrane enzymes, and expression of parathyroid hormone receptors and sodium-dependent glucose transporters. This makes LLC-PK1 cells a valuable tool in renal toxicology studies. Another cell line commonly used in renal toxicology studies is the MDCK cell line. Like LLC-PK1 cells, MDCK cells are epithelial but have characteristics more typical of distal tubular cells. They express vasopressin, oxytocin, and prostaglandin receptors, which, when stimulated, activate adenylate cyclase. LLC-PK1 and MDCK cell lines proliferate rapidly and can be passaged easily for many generations in monolayer cultures. LLC-PK1 cells are also capable of forming 'domes', fluid-filled blisters resulting from water and solute transport, tight junctions, and adhesion of the cells to the substratum. In conclusion, the LLC-PK1 cell line is a versatile and valuable tool for biomedical research. It has been widely used in various studies on drug metabolism, drug transport, drug toxicity, drug-drug interactions, renal toxicology, and permeability assays. With its well-established epithelial morphology and plasminogen activator and cytokeratin production, LLC-PK1 cells are an ideal model for epithelial tissue. |
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Organism | Sus Scrofa |
Tissue | Kidney |
Applications | Drug metabolism, permeability assays, toxicity, and interaction studies. |
Synonyms | LLC-PK(1), LLC-PK-1, LLC PK-1, LLc-PK1, LLC PK1, LLCPK1, Lilly Laboratories Cell-Porcine Kidney 1 |
Characteristics
Age | 3-4 weeks |
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Gender | Male |
Morphology | Epithelial-like |
Growth properties | Adherent/suspension. It takes a couple of days until cells grow in adherent colonies. |
Identifiers / Biosafety / Citation
Citation | LLC-PK1 (Cytion catalog number 607264) |
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Biosafety level | 1 |
Expression / Mutation
Products | plasminogen activator |
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Handling
Culture Medium | DMEM:Ham's F12, w: 3.1 g/L Glucose, w: 1.6 mM L-Glutamine, w: 15 mM HEPES, w: 1.0 mM Sodium pyruvate, w: 1.2 g/L NaHCO3 (Cytion article number 820400a) |
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Medium supplements | Supplement the medium with 10% FBS |
Passaging solution | Accutase |
Subculturing | Gather the suspension cells in a 15 ml tube and gently wash the adherent cells with PBS lacking calcium and magnesium (use 3-5 ml for T25 flasks and 5-10 ml for T75 flasks). Apply Accutase (1-2 ml for T25 flasks, 2.5 ml for T75 flasks) ensuring full coverage of the cell layer. Allow the cells to incubate at room temperature for 10 minutes. Following incubation, combine and centrifuge both the suspension and adherent cells. After centrifugation, carefully resuspend the cell pellet and transfer the cell suspension into new flasks containing fresh medium. |
Split ratio | A ratio of 1:3 to 1:8 is recommended |
Seeding density | 1 to 3 x 10^6 cells/cm^2 |
Fluid renewal | Every 3 days |
Freezing recovery | After thawing, plate the cells at 5 x 10^4 cells/cm^2 and allow the cells to recover from the freezing process and to adhere for at least 24 hours. |
Freeze medium | CM-1 (Cytion catalog number 800100) or CM-ACF (Cytion catalog number 806100) |
Handling of cryopreserved cultures |
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Quality control / Genetic profile / HLA
Sterility | Mycoplasma contamination is excluded using both PCR-based assays and luminescence-based mycoplasma detection methods. To ensure there is no bacterial, fungal, or yeast contamination, cell cultures are subjected to daily visual inspections. |
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