HCT116-GFP Cells

HCT116-GFP is a genetically modified derivative of the human colorectal carcinoma cell line HCT116, engineered to constitutively express green fluorescent protein (GFP). The parental HCT116 line originates from a colon carcinoma of an adult patient and is widely used as a model of mismatch repair–deficient (MMR-deficient) colorectal cancer. Cytogenetic analyses have shown that HCT116 cells typically exhibit a near-diploid karyotype with defined chromosomal alterations, including structural rearrangements and copy number variations characteristic of microsatellite instability–positive colorectal tumors. Introduction of the GFP reporter gene enables real-time visualization of cellular behavior without substantially altering the intrinsic genetic and phenotypic properties of the parental line.

The GFP labeling in HCT116-GFP cells is commonly achieved through stable transfection, resulting in uniform fluorescence that facilitates live-cell imaging, cell tracking, and quantitative analysis of proliferation, migration, and tumor growth dynamics. This modification is particularly valuable in in vitro assays and in vivo xenograft models, where GFP expression allows non-invasive monitoring of tumor progression, metastatic dissemination, and response to therapeutic interventions. Fluorescence-based phenotypic profiling approaches have demonstrated that colon cancer cell lines, including HCT116, exhibit distinct intracellular signatures that can be captured through imaging-based methodologies, supporting the utility of fluorescent reporters such as GFP for high-content screening applications.

HCT116-GFP serves as a robust tool for investigating colorectal cancer biology, enabling detailed analysis of tumor cell behavior, microenvironmental interactions, and therapeutic efficacy in both basic and translational research contexts.

Genetic modification: Stably modified by replication-incompetent lentiviral transduction to express the ZsGreen1 green fluorescent protein reporter; maintained as a polyclonal population under puromycin selection (1–5 µg/mL). S1/BSL-1 containment.