U-87 MG-RFP Cells

U-87 MG-RFP cells are a fluorescently labeled variant of the human glioblastoma astrocytoma cell line U-87 MG, which was originally derived from a malignant glioma tumor of an adult patient. The parental U-87 MG line is widely used as an in vitro model for glioblastoma due to its well-characterized growth properties, tumorigenic potential, and relevance to high-grade astrocytic tumors. These cells exhibit adherent growth with epithelial-like morphology and are commonly employed to study processes such as cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and response to hypoxic conditions.

In U-87 MG-RFP cells, stable expression of red fluorescent protein (RFP) enables real-time visualization of tumor cell behavior in both in vitro and in vivo systems. This modification facilitates applications such as live-cell imaging, tumor tracking in orthotopic xenograft models, and analysis of invasive growth patterns within brain tissue. U-87 MG-RFP cells are particularly valuable for studying glioblastoma progression, tumor–microenvironment interactions, and evaluating therapeutic strategies using fluorescence-based imaging approaches.

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