Extended passaging of the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line leads to two phenotypically different strains.

ABSTRACT: Continuous passaging of cancer cell lines can drive phenotypic and genotypic divergence, potentially compromising the reliability of such models. In this study, we show that two late-passage strains (S1 and S2) of ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3, although authenticated via short tandem repeat (STR) profiling as identical, exhibit substantial differences in morphology, transcriptomic signatures, ability to form 3D cultures and chemotherapeutic responses. Notably, S1 formed compact 3D spheroids and exhibited enhanced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway activity, whereas S2 displayed a more proliferative, MYC-driven phenotype with larger spheroid structures requiring higher seeding densities. Transcriptomic analysis revealed pathways associated with hypoxia, EMT and angiogenesis in

SUBMITTER: Zymantaite E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12421797 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature