OVCAR-4

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.

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.

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.