@Muhammad Nawaz.. Anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), which is an astrocytoma, is a high grade tumour (grade III) under WHO classification. These tumours are hypercellular, have frequent mitoses. Low grade astrocytoma are for example pilocytic astrocytomas (grade I) or diffuse astrocytomas (grade II). GBM will include the same features as AA except will also have vascular endothelial proliferation and pseudopalisading necrosis. If you look at the WHO 2007 classification of brain tumours book or their publication in Acta Neuropathol (2007) 114:97–109, you will see that glioblastoma is a grade IV astrocytic tumour. I agree that it is a malignant glioma, but so is anaplastic astrocytoma, because astrocytomas are gliomas.

I'm not sure what you mean by "U87 cell line has astrocytoma disease, too". Glioblastoma is an astrocytoma.

There are other lines such as U118, U251, MO59K, MO59J, LN-18 which you could use, to name a few. It would be easier to suggest something if we knew what you are indeed controlling for.

I think you guys are mixing up the two separate terms. If we recall W.H.O 2007 classification, the Astrocytoma falls under low grade gliomas, while glioblastoma (GBM grade IV) is highly malignant glioma. Once transformed into glioblastoma, the astrocytoma no more recognized as astrocytoma as it has transformed into other histo/pheotype. Glioblastoma (primary and secondary) has separate cell lines A172 and U87. However it depends what type of investigation you go for.

@Muhammad Nawaz.. Anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), which is an astrocytoma, is a high grade tumour (grade III) under WHO classification. These tumours are hypercellular, have frequent mitoses. Low grade astrocytoma are for example pilocytic astrocytomas (grade I) or diffuse astrocytomas (grade II). GBM will include the same features as AA except will also have vascular endothelial proliferation and pseudopalisading necrosis. If you look at the WHO 2007 classification of brain tumours book or their publication in Acta Neuropathol (2007) 114:97–109, you will see that glioblastoma is a grade IV astrocytic tumour. I agree that it is a malignant glioma, but so is anaplastic astrocytoma, because astrocytomas are gliomas.

It really depends on what you are studying. Most GBM are of astrocytic origin and U87-MG is the most widely used cell line for GBM studies. However,.GBM may also have oligodendroglial component/origin. If your study is oligodendroglia-specific, then you may want to use HOG cells.

Thanks for all of your answers. http://www.atcc.org/~/media/PDFs/Brain_Tumor_Cell_Lines.ashx in this website, disease of U-87 are glioblastoma and astrocytoma. Disease of LN-18 is only Glioblastoma. So can we say that U-87 is mix of glioblastoma and astrocytoma however LN-18 is only glioblastoma cells?

@ Emre.

Unfortunately you can't really say that. I wouldn't use that chart as a final reference from the link you provided. If you notice for a few of the cell lines (MO59J and MO59K) it says "Glioblastoma, malignant", but does this mean that the U87 and LN18 GBM was not malignant?, of course not! For another (T98G) it says "Glioblastoma multiforme", which is now an outdated term. The fist cell line they name, CCF-STTG1 says astrocytoma, but if you look up where these cells came from (http://www.atcc.org/products/all/CRL-1718.aspx) you will see its from a 68 yo female with a grade IV astrocytoma, aka, GBM (and very likely a primary GBM). For SW1088 their info is only astrocytoma, which is meaningless because you don't know the grade/histology. For SW1783 they again wrote only astrocytoma but I found that it is, is a grade III astrocytoma, or anaplastic astrocytoma (http://www.atcc.org/products/all/HTB-13.aspx). Their system of describing the cell lines is not consistent.

Yes there are GBM that can arise from the progression of lower grade tumours and sometimes with less common histologies like pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, oligodendrogliomas, gangliobgliomas, etc, and even from ependymoma, however, a primary glioblastoma diagnosed in adult would likely not have this mixed component as it is primary and arises de novo. Not to say there aren't any rare exceptions.

U87 is a primary GBM. I could not find this information for LN-18 although I found that it was cultured from a 65yo male with GBM and is likely primary, especially since they don't have IDH1 mutation.

Bottom line (U87) is a GBM (classified as a grade IV astrocytoma)

LN-18 is a GBM (classified as a grade IV astrocytoma)

I hope this helps in what you are looking for, but again if you tell us exactly what your experimental question is, suggesting a good positive control would be much easier. Best of luck.

@ pawel

thanks for your help pawel. Your information is very helpful for me.

The GBM is originally glial lineage, but malignant or transformed it from lower grade astrocytomas. Moreover the behavior and outcome of GBM differs markedly compared with astrocytomas grade I, II.

hi may i ask where did you source the cell line you are using for your control experiments ( normal human astrocytes) ? many thanks

I am also looking for diffuse astrocytoma cell lines. Do they exist? I could not find any cell line that was established from diffused astrocytoma in ATCC. Either their description is incomplete or very confusing. At places they write glioma or astrocytoma or GBM. However they should have mentioned specifically which grade it was established from. If anyone has any information on DA cell lines then please do share. Thanks!

Res259 is from  diffuse astro (see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24203892). There is also mention of another DA derived cell line in this paper (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18398503).

please i woul like to know an appropriate control cell line if i want to inject gbm or oligodendroglioma into mice orthotopically. which cell line can serve as control

Dear all:

could you saggest sensetive temozolomide cell line?thanks

Hello, Can anyone suggest from where I can get oligodendrocyte cell line?. I could not find that in ATCC and NCS.

We have recently checked whether U87MG are sensitive to TMZ and they are partially. There is literature. We use them as a control since they are GB's best representative molecular subtype. But as a control to in vitro or in vivo experiments and also, as opposed to primary cells?