UM-HMC-3A

UM-HMC-3A is a human mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line established from the local recurrence of a salivary gland tumor in an adult patient, several years after surgical resection of the primary lesion. It is part of a matched pair of cell lines (UM-HMC-3A and UM-HMC-3B) derived from the same individual, representing distinct stages of disease progression, namely local recurrence and lymph node metastasis. UM-HMC-3A cells display a stable epithelial-like morphology in vitro, forming cobblestone-like monolayers and maintaining consistent growth characteristics over extended culture, with successful propagation reported beyond 100 passages. Short tandem repeat profiling confirms their origin from the patient tumor and excludes cross-contamination, supporting their reliability as a model system.

UM-HMC-3A demonstrates tumorigenic capacity in vivo, forming xenograft tumors when implanted into immunodeficient mice. These xenografts recapitulate key histopathological features of the original patient tumor, including the presence of both epidermoid-like and mucin-producing cell populations. Periodic Acid–Schiff (PAS) staining reveals mucopolysaccharide production comparable to human tumors, indicating preserved functional differentiation. Compared to its metastatic counterpart (UM-HMC-3B), UM-HMC-3A typically shows slower tumor formation and less consistent initial engraftment, reflecting biological differences associated with local recurrence versus metastatic progression. UM-HMC-3A provides a valuable, well-characterized model for investigating tumor recurrence, epithelial differentiation, and therapeutic responses in salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

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.