4T1-Luc

4T1-Luc is a genetically engineered variant of the murine 4T1 mammary carcinoma cell line, stably transduced to express a luciferase reporter gene. The parental 4T1 cell line is derived from a spontaneously arising mammary tumor in a mouse and is widely used as a model of stage IV triple-negative breast cancer. It closely mimics human disease in its aggressive growth, poor differentiation, and high metastatic potential, with the ability to spontaneously disseminate from the primary tumor site to distant organs such as lung, liver, bone, and brain. The luciferase-expressing derivative retains these core biological characteristics while enabling non-invasive tracking of tumor progression.

The introduction of the luciferase gene allows for sensitive bioluminescence imaging (BLI) following administration of a luciferin substrate, providing a quantitative and longitudinal readout of tumor burden in live animals. This modification enables real-time monitoring of primary tumor growth, metastatic spread, and therapeutic response without the need for invasive procedures. The luciferase signal correlates with viable cell number, making 4T1-Luciferase particularly useful for in vivo studies of metastasis, tumor kinetics, and drug efficacy in syngeneic immunocompetent mouse models. Stable integration ensures consistent reporter expression across passages, although signal intensity may vary depending on clone selection and experimental conditions.

4T1-Luc maintains the immunological and metastatic properties of the parental line, including resistance to many chemotherapeutic agents and the ability to interact with and modulate the host immune system. This makes it especially valuable for studies of tumor immunology, immune checkpoint therapies, and combination treatment strategies. The addition of a bioluminescent reporter significantly enhances experimental throughput and sensitivity, supporting applications in preclinical drug development, metastatic modeling, and real-time assessment of therapeutic interventions in breast cancer research.

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 200 x g for 5 minutes, carefully discard the supernatant containing freezing medium.

7. Follow the procedure described under Post-Thaw Recovery

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.