OVCAR-4 Cells
USD$650.00*
Products are shipped frozen on dry ice in cryotubes. Each cryotube typically contains 3 × 106 cells for adherent lines or 5 × 106 cells for suspension lines (refer to the batch CoA for details).
General information
| Description | OVCAR-4 is a human ovarian carcinoma cell line derived from an adult patient with epithelial ovarian cancer who had previously undergone combination chemotherapy. It belongs to a panel of ovarian cancer cell lines established to model clinical drug resistance and tumor heterogeneity. As part of this series, OVCAR-4 reflects characteristics of tumors exposed to chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin and doxorubicin, making it particularly valuable for studying mechanisms of chemotherapy response and resistance. Molecular analyses have demonstrated that OVCAR-4 exhibits detectable expression of metallothionein mRNA, a protein involved in metal ion binding and cellular detoxification pathways. Notably, exposure to cisplatin induces only a modest increase in metallothionein expression in this cell line, suggesting that while metallothionein may contribute to cellular stress responses, it is not a primary determinant of cisplatin resistance in this model. These findings highlight the complexity of drug resistance mechanisms in ovarian cancer, where multiple pathways—including drug transport, DNA repair, and intracellular detoxification - may act in parallel. OVCAR-4 is included in the NCI-60 cancer cell line panel and has been utilized in high-content phenotypic profiling studies. Fluorescence-based screening approaches have shown that OVCAR-4 exhibits distinct intracellular staining patterns and intensity kinetics when exposed to diverse fluorescent probes, enabling its classification alongside other ovarian cancer cell lines. These phenotypic signatures reflect underlying biochemical and morphological features, supporting the use of OVCAR-4 in systems biology, drug screening, and cancer cell lineage identification studies. |
|---|---|
| Organism | Human |
| Tissue | Metastatic |
| Disease | High grade ovarian serous adenocarcinoma |
| Metastatic site | Ascites |
| Synonyms | OVCAR 4, NIH:OVCAR-4, NIH:OVCAR4, OVCAR.4, OVCAR4, Ovcar4 |
Characteristics
| Age | 42 years |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Growth properties | Adherent |
Regulatory Data
| Citation | OVCAR-4 (Cytion catalog number 305912) |
|---|---|
| Biosafety level | 1 |
| NCBI_TaxID | 9606 |
| CellosaurusAccession | CVCL_1627 |
Biomolecular Data
| Mutational profile | Mutation: p.Leu130Val, Homozygous |
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Handling
| Culture Medium | RPMI 1640, w: 2.1 mM stable Glutamine, w: 2.0 g/L NaHCO3 (Cytion article number 820700a) |
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| Supplements | Supplement the medium with 20% FBS and 0.25 units/mL human insulin |
| Dissociation Reagent | Accutase |
| Doubling time | 34 hours ; 43 hours ; 41.4 hours |
| Seeding density | 1.5 to 3 x 104 cells/cm2 |
| Fluid renewal | 2 to 3 times per week |
| Freeze medium | As a cryopreservation medium, we use complete growth medium (including FBS) + 10% DMSO for adequate post-thaw viability, or CM-1 (Cytion catalog number 800100), which includes optimized osmoprotectants and metabolic stabilizers to enhance recovery and reduce cryo-induced stress. |
| Thawing and Culturing Cells |
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| Incubation Atmosphere | 37°C, 5% CO2, humidified atmosphere. |
| Shipping Conditions | Cryopreserved cell lines are shipped on dry ice in validated, insulated packaging with sufficient refrigerant to maintain approximately −78 °C throughout transit. On receipt, inspect the container immediately and transfer vials without delay to appropriate storage. |
| Storage Conditions | For long-term preservation, place vials in vapor-phase liquid nitrogen at about −150 to −196 °C. Storage at −80 °C is acceptable only as a short interim step before transfer to liquid nitrogen. |
Quality Control & Molecular Analysis
| Metastatic site: | Ascites |
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Certificate of Analysis (CoA)
| Lot Number | Certificate Type | Date | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 305912-040326 | Certificate of Analysis | 31. Mar. 2026 | 305912 |