Are MDA-MB435 cells mammary carcinoma cells or melanoma cells?

Ulrich Pfeffer   (2011-11-08 16:27)  IST

Holliday and Speirs discuss in their illuminating review on breast cancer cell lines as models for breast cancer research the cell line MDA-MB435, which has been considered as a breast cancer cell line until reports on their potential origin from a human melanoma (see ref. in Holliday and Speirs). More recent evidence shows that i) MDA-MB435 are indeed identical to M14 melanoma cells, ii) M14 were derived from a male melanoma patient but carry two X-chromosomes whereas MDA-MB435 were derived from a female patient (Chambers, Cancer Res. 2009, 5292; Hohestelle and Schutte, Cancer Res. 2009, 7893) and iii) 18% of human breast cancers express melan-A and other melanoma markers (Bachmeier et al. Int J Oncol. 2008, 1011). MDA-MB435 cells are therefore most likely breast cancer cells.

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