Description:
Title: Human Adrenal Carcinoma Cell Line Clones: Improved Models for Steroidogenesis.
Current State of the Art:
Steroidogenesis is the production of hormones from cholesterol including aldosterone (regulates potassium in the blood) and corticosteroids (stress reponse). These hormones are primarily produced in the adrenal gland. Diseases and disorders of steroidogenesis in the adrenal glands include primary aldosteronism (PA). PA is the most common form of hormonally induced hypertension affecting ~8-10% of hypertensive subjects.
Cell culture model systems offer a rapid and easily malleable approach to study important properties of any cell based pathology. For adrenal steroidogenesis the adrenal carcinoma cell line NCI-H295 (aldosterone and corticosteroid production) is available.
Disadvantages with the Current Art:
There are very few commercially available models for adrenal steroidogenesis or for human adrenal carcinoma cell lines. These suffer from heterogenous or unstable expression of key genes necessary for analyzing all aspects of steroidogenesis, PA and adrenal carcinoma characteristics. The availability of more cell lines will expand the usefulness of this model system for these studies to provide a more complete picture of these mechanisms.
Advantages of Invention:
Researchers have identified 18 clones of the H295 adrenal carcinoma cell line. To date (09-20-2011), 3 have been characterized.
List of clones and characteristics:
· HAC13, 15 and 50
o High level expression of:
§ aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) and therefore more aldosterone
o Potentially more stable phenotype H295 parent cell line
For Profit or Not For Profit MTAs are available for this technology
Inventor: William Rainey, Tao Wang, Parmar Jeniel
Case Number: GHSU 2011-021 and GHSU 2012-012
Contact Info: (706) 721-9822; Office of Technology Transfer and Economic Development, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, GA.