HCC1187

HCC1187 is a human breast carcinoma cell line established from a primary ductal breast tumor of an adult patient. It exhibits a triple-negative phenotype, lacking expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2, which is characteristic of basal-like breast cancers. HCC1187 is part of a panel of cell lines developed to represent the molecular diversity of breast cancers, and has been extensively profiled in multiple large-scale genomic and proteomic studies including the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-aligned analyses.

This cell line displays complex genomic alterations commonly observed in high-grade breast tumors, such as copy number variations and a high burden of somatic mutations. Proteomic analyses reveal that HCC1187 has a proteomic profile aligned with basal-like breast tumors, including elevated expression of cytokeratins associated with basal epithelial cells and low levels of luminal markers. Quantitative proteomics also show that HCC1187 clusters with other triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lines based on pathway-level protein expression, demonstrating dysregulation in pathways related to DNA damage repair, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis. These properties position HCC1187 as a valuable model for studying TNBC biology and testing targeted therapeutics for basal-like or BRCA1-deficient breast cancer subtypes.

HCC1187 has also been included in comprehensive mutational studies of breast cancer, contributing to the understanding of mutation frequency patterns and the landscape of driver versus passenger mutations. Studies have shown that although individual tumors harbor numerous mutations, only a subset significantly contributes to cancer progression. In HCC1187, several such driver mutations and pathway alterations have been identified, making it a key model for exploring the genetic basis of tumorigenesis and for developing personalized therapeutic approaches.

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.