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UK Health Security Agency

Cell line profile Karpas 422

(ECACC catalogue no. 06101702)

Purchase Cell line 

 

Cell line history

Karpas 422 was established from a pleural effusion of a 73 year old woman diagnosed with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Her cancer was intra-abdominal, and developed from B-cells in the lymphatic system leading to her death in 1986 (Dyer et al, 1990).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key characteristics

Karpas 422 is a Human B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cell line. Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are heterogeneous disorders characterised by the uncontrolled growth of lymphoid cells (Mounter and Leonard, 1999). Karpas 422 has been shown to have an abnormal karyotype. The cell line is typified by rounded or polygonal cells growing singularly or in small clusters in suspension. These cells have been found to be resistant to chemotherapy, making Karpas 422 a useful cell line for cancer research.

Applications

Karpas 422 is one of the most popular cell lines supplied by ECACC.  Due to its resistance to chemotherapy, it is used as a model to validate methods of cancer treatment (Deggerdal et al, 1995) for example the “CHOP” strategy for NHL treatment,(so called after the chemicals used: Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin hydrochloride, Oncovin and Prednisolone). There have, however, been calls for new treatments to supersede the CHOP method (Fisher, 2000) and it is hoped that Karpas 422 could play a role in their development.

Culture tips

Karpas 422 should be cultured in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with  2mM Glutamine and 20% Foetal Bovine Serum (FBS).The cultures should be maintained at a relatively high cell density, between 5-20  x 105 cells/ml at 37°C /5% CO2, splitting (1:2) fully saturated cultures every 2-4 days.  When starting the ampoule from frozen, the cryo-protectant should be removed. This is achieved by adding the thawed cells to a conical centrifuge tube, carefully adding ~4ml media and taking a sample to perform a cell count. Centrifuging the cell suspension at 100-150 x g for 5 minutes, removing the medium and re-suspending the pellet at 5 x 105 cells/ml in fresh medium. Once the cell line has been established, the serum concentration can be reduced to 10%. These cells should be handled under laboratory containment level 2.

 

Related cell lines

ECACC catalogue number

Description

Karpas – 25

06072601

Human acute plasma cell leukaemia

Karpas – 929

06072606

Human multiple myeloma

Karpas – 1106P

06072607

Human B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Karpas – 1718

08072401

Human splenic lymphoma

Karpas – 231

06120601

Human B-cell leukaemia

Karpas – 299

06072604

Human Non-Hodgkin’s Ki-positive Large Cell Lymphoma

Karpas – 384

06120602

Human T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Karpas – 417

06100302

Human myeloma

Karpas – 45

06072602

Human T-cell Leukaemia

Key references

  1. Dyer, M.J., et al., A new human B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cell line (Karpas 422) exhibiting both t (14;18) and t(4;11) chromosomal translocations. Blood, 1990. 75(3): p. 709-14.

  2. Mounter, P.J. and A.L. Lennard, Management of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 1999. 75(879): p. 2.

  3. Deggerdal, A.H., et al., Semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction for t(14;18) in follicular lymphomas: a colorimetric approach. Lab Invest, 1995. 72(4): p. 411-8.

  4. Fisher, R.I., Diffuse large-cell lymphoma. Annals of Oncology, 2000. 11(suppl_1): p. S29-S33.