SNU-423

The SNU-423 cell line is a human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model established from a Korean adult patient. It is one of eight HCC cell lines derived from primary liver tumors and characterized for their morphological, genetic, and virological properties. SNU-423 displays substrate adherence and maintains many of the histological features of the original tumor, consistent with hepatocyte-derived epithelial morphology. It exhibits aneuploidy and has a modal chromosome number indicative of chromosomal instability, which is common in HCC-derived lines.

At the molecular level, SNU-423 is notable for integration of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA within its genome, a characteristic shared by all lines in its cohort, reflecting the high prevalence of HBV-associated liver cancer in Eastern Asia. While some cell lines in the series express HBV transcripts such as HBVx, specific transcript expression in SNU-423 was not reported. Additionally, SNU-423 does not express alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) at either the RNA or protein level, aligning it with a subset of HCCs that lack AFP secretion. It has been used in pharmacogenomic screens such as the LIMORE (Liver Cancer Model Repository), where it contributes to understanding gene-drug associations in liver cancer, including drug response variability potentially linked to HBV status or distinct oncogenic alterations.

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.