OV-90

OV-90 is a human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cell line derived from malignant ascites of an adult patient who had not received prior chemotherapy or radiation treatment. It belongs to a panel of spontaneously immortalized ovarian cancer cell lines that were developed to preserve key clinical and molecular features of the tumors from which they originated. OV-90, in particular, exhibits aggressive in vitro growth behavior that correlates with its clinical derivation from a patient with advanced disease. Cytogenetically, OV-90 cells carry mutations in tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes frequently implicated in ovarian cancer, including TP53 and BRCA2, as well as alterations in TGF-β receptor type II and CDKN2A. These mutations reflect the genomic instability commonly observed in high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas.

Gene expression profiling of OV-90 reveals a distinct molecular signature consistent with its tumor origin. Comparative microarray analyses have shown that OV-90’s transcriptomic profile diverges significantly from that of normal ovarian surface epithelium, with strong upregulation of genes involved in proliferation, DNA damage response, and invasion. Moreover, among the ovarian cancer lines studied, OV-90 clusters with other aggressive tumor-derived lines rather than with those derived from indolent disease, making it a useful model for investigating high-risk disease biology. Its expression patterns also align with clinical markers of poor prognosis, further supporting its utility in preclinical research focused on aggressive ovarian cancer subtypes.

In systems biology and pharmacogenomic studies, OV-90 has been included in large-scale transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, including the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and proteomic atlases. These datasets reveal copy number alterations and gene expression changes that can be correlated with drug sensitivity, particularly to agents targeting DNA repair pathways or cell cycle regulators. The availability of this comprehensive multi-omic data, alongside OV-90’s phenotypic and genetic fidelity to aggressive ovarian carcinoma, underscores its value in drug development, biomarker discovery, and mechanistic studies of ovarian cancer pathogenesis.

37°C, 5% CO₂, humidified atmosphere.

1. Confirm that the vial remains deeply frozen upon delivery, as cells are shipped on dry ice to maintain optimal temperatures during transit.

2. Upon receipt, either store the cryovial immediately at temperatures below -150°C to ensure the preservation of cellular integrity, or proceed to step 3 if immediate culturing is required.

3. For immediate culturing, swiftly thaw the vial by immersing it in a 37°C water bath with clean water and an antimicrobial agent, agitating gently for 40-60 seconds until a small ice clump remains.

4. Perform all subsequent steps under sterile conditions in a flow hood, disinfecting the cryovial with 70% ethanol before opening.

5. Carefully open the disinfected vial and transfer the cell suspension into a 15 ml centrifuge tube containing 8 ml of room-temperature culture medium, mixing gently.

6. Centrifuge the mixture at 300 x g for 3 minutes to separate the cells and carefully discard the supernatant containing residual freezing medium.

7. Gently resuspend the cell pellet in 10 ml of fresh culture medium. For adherent cells, divide the suspension between two T25 culture flasks; for suspension cultures, transfer all the medium into one T25 flask to promote effective cell interaction and growth.

8. Adhere to established subculture protocols for continued growth and maintenance of the cell line, ensuring reliable experimental outcomes.

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.

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.

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.

At Cytion, we stand behind the quality and viability of our products. We guarantee that our cells will be viable at the start of culture for 60 days after shipment from our facilities. We assure that all materials conform to the specifications described in the Certificate of Analysis and/or Product Sheet.

For full details, please refer to our Warranty Statement.