I'm wondering if the 3T3-L1 line is immortalized. I've seen conflicting reports where some papers call it immortalized and some do not. In addition, the ZenBio description sheet of the cell line specifies that it is not immortalized. Morganstein et al., even suggests that immortalization may effect adipogenesis (Conditionally immortalized white preadipocytes: a novel adipocyte model. J. Lipid Res. 49, 679–685 (2008)). Is the answer dependent on the specific clone of 3T3-L1 one is dealing with?
The 3T3-L1 line is effectively self-immortalised. It is a line that is immortalised by clonal selection and continuous culture rather than by a transgene such as SV40 large T.
The 3T3-L1 cell line is not immortalized!
Morgenstein et. al. describes isolated WAT from IMMORTO-mice. By activation of the largeT - antigen (normally @ 33° C) those WAT SVFs (stromal vascular fraction) should become immortalized and this process is reversible @37° C.
Hope that answers your question
3T3-L1 cells are an established cell line and immortalized clones have been selected. Nevertheless we do not passag cells too often because differentiation capacity declines.
In nearly 40 years of working with them we never considerd the 3T3-L1 cells to be immortalized. They were single cell cloned and with passage lose their phenotype and give rise to a clonal differentation. Considering where you are, you might think about running across the stree and speaking with Bruce Spiegelman in the Dana Farber. He was in Greens lab shrotly after the cells were established. I'm sure Bruce will be very definitive.
Bruce states, "Yes, they are definitely immortalized. They were immortalized by the 3T3
procedure that Howard Green invented."
ATCC - the supplier of the line names it as a continous cell line. However, when the cells are differentiated to adipocytes, they loses their ability as the continous line an/or they are no longer appropriate to further proliferation.
Sincerely Yours
Tatiana Wojciechowicz ([email protected])& Pawel Mackowiak
3T3-L1 is a continuous substrain of 3T3 (Swiss albino) developed through clonal isolation.Information from ATCC site
It is immortalized. During differentiation, it should however be used at lower passage Number. There are pubs showing that passage 6 differentiate way better than passage 10 cells.
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