C6 Cells

The C6 cell line maintains glial cell type with fibroblast morphology and originates from a glioma of a Wisthar-Furth rat. The glioma was induced by exposure to N-nitrosomethylurea, following numerous cycles of alternating culture and animal passages. The C6 glioma cell line is frequently utilized in neuro-oncology research to create animal models that closely mimic the characteristics of human glioma, aiding in the development of new therapeutic agents and strategies. It is particularly effective in 3D cell culture and high-throughput screening. C6 cells are genetically diverse, possessing a wild-type p53 gene, increased Rb gene expression, and a mutant p16/Cdkn2a/Ink4a locus but lacking p16 and p19ARF mRNA expression. They also overexpress several genes in human gliomas, such as PDGFβ, IGF-1, EGFR, and Erb3/Her3 precursor proteins. However, the expression of IGF-2, FGF-9, and FGF-10 is reduced, while MMP-7 gene expression remains unchanged. Like human gliomas, C6 cells show increased activity of the Ras pathway genes, which is regulated by the elevated expression of the Ras guanine triphosphate activator protein. The C6 cell line has been utilized in various studies. For instance, it was used to examine the ability of 2-(2,4-dihydroxy phenyl)thieno-1,3-thiazin-4-one (BChTT) to halt cancer cell proliferation and to investigate the mechanisms involved in this process. In another research, the cytotoxic and antioxidant properties of the supercritical CO2 extract (SCE) of an old man's beard (Usnea barbata) were studied using C6 cells. Interestingly, these cells have been reported to show increased levels of glyceryl phosphate dehydrogenase activity in response to glucocorticoids.