A549 is a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line that was derived from a male patient in 1972. It is commonly used as a model for studying lung cancer and respiratory diseases. A549 cells have several characteristics that make them a popular choice for research, including:
- Adenocarcinoma properties: A549 cells exhibit characteristics of human lung adenocarcinoma, which is the most common type of lung cancer.
- Epithelial-like morphology: A549 cells have an epithelial-like morphology and express cytokeratins, making them useful for studying epithelial differentiation.
- High transfection efficiency: A549 cells are easily transfected, making them useful for studying gene expression and regulation.
- High metastatic potential: A549 cells have a high metastatic potential, making them useful for studying cancer metastasis.
- Susceptibility to viral infection: A549 cells are susceptible to infection by a variety of viruses, including respiratory viruses such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.
Due to these properties, A549 cells have been widely used in research on lung cancer, respiratory diseases, drug discovery, and viral pathogenesis.
