I am currently culturing SH-SY5Y cells, but recently, I've noticed unusual changes in their morphology. In the past, even after extended passaging, this kind of change never occurred. However, lately, I see an increasing number of round, seed-like shapes, and these round cells are clustering together. When I perform a cell count, 99% of the cells are alive. Could it be because the proportion of N-type cells has increased? I started at passage 23 (p23), and these changes have gradually appeared around passages 33-34 (p33-34).
This might sound far-fetched, but I am also culturing RAW cells at the same time. Is it possible that RAW cells might have accidentally mixed in? Their morphology seems somewhat similar.
I would greatly appreciate your help.
SH-SY5Y cells, a human neuroblastoma cell line, exhibit distinct morphological characteristics depending on their differentiation state:
Undifferentiated SH-SY5Y Cells:
- Flat and Epithelial-like: They have a characteristic flat, epithelial-like morphology with numerous short processes extending outward.
- Rapid Proliferation: These cells proliferate rapidly and lack the elongated, neuronal-like processes seen in differentiated cells.
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After several passages, morphology changes can be seen in some cell lines but I've never noticed this in case of SH-SY5Y or similar cell types. In my opinion it could be because of some kind of stress where the cells are alive but rarely exhibit any natural characteristics.
It would be best if you have the same cell line in stock from the initial passages and try to revive them. Maintain uniform condition for both the current one and newly revived cells to observe any possible changes. I assume the initial passages won't have this problem, and if you continue passaging the new one and they show similar phenotypes after some passages, then you have your answer.