A549 cells under
DIC microscopy, from a 3-4 days old culture, showing an abundance of intercellular connections, including possible
cytonemes,
filopodia and other epithelial bridges. (These cells have endocytosed 25x73 nm
colloidal gold nanorods.)
A549 cells, as found in the lung tissue of their origin, are squamous and responsible for the diffusion of some substances, such as water and electrolytes, across
alveoli. If A549 cells are cultured in vitro, they grow as a monolayer; adherent or attaching to the culture flask.[1] The cells are able to synthesize
lecithin and contain high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, which are important to maintain
membrane phospholipids.[1] A549 cells are widely used as a type II pulmonary epithelial cell model for drug metabolism and as a transfection host.[4] When grown for a sufficiently long time in cell culture, A549 cells may begin to
differentiate, as signaled by the presence of
multilamellar bodies.[5]
Usage
A549 cells have served as models of
alveolar Type II pulmonary epithelium, finding utility in research examining the metabolic processing of lung tissue and possible mechanisms of drug delivery to the tissue.[3] In context of lung cancer
drug development, the cells have served as testing grounds for novel drugs - such as
paclitaxel,
docetaxel, and
bevacizumab - both in vitro and in vivo through
cell culture and
xenografting, respectively.[6][1] Single-cell tracking of A549 has enabled the elaboration of pedigree-tree profiles and demonstrate correlations in behavior among sister cells and their descendants.[7][8] Such observations of correlations can be used as proxy measurements to identify cellular stress and inheritance as a response to drug treatment.[9] A549 has also been employed in viral research and associated
protein expression changes as a consequence of viral infection.[10] Although A549 is a cancer cell line, it has also been studied for its response to
tuberculosis, specifically the production of
chemokines as it is induced by the invading bacteria.[11]
^Giard, DJ; Aaronson, SA; Todaro, GJ; Arnstein, P; Kersey, JH; Dosik, H; Parks, WP (1973). "In vitro cultivation of human tumors: Establishment of cell lines derived from a series of solid tumors". Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 51 (5): 1417–23.
doi:
10.1093/jnci/51.5.1417.
PMID4357758.
^
abFoster, KA; et al. (15 September 1998). "Characterization of the A549 cell line as a type II pulmonary epithelial cell model for drug metabolism". Experimental Cell Research. 243 (2): 359–366.
doi:
10.1006/excr.1998.4172.
PMID9743595.