Cited by 4,170Skin and Cellular Biology ResearchGenetic and rare skin diseases.Hair Growth and Disorders

Normal keratinization in a spontaneously immortalized aneuploid human keratinocyte cell line.

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Boukamp, P, Petrussevska, R T, Breitkreutz, D, Hornung, J, Markham, A, Fusenig, N E·1988·The Journal of cell biology

Abstract

In contrast to mouse epidermal cells, human skin keratinocytes are rather resistant to transformation in vitro. Immortalization has been achieved by SV40 but has resulted in cell lines with altered differentiation. We have established a spontaneously transformed human epithelial cell line from adult skin, which maintains full epidermal differentiation capacity. This HaCaT cell line is obviously immortal (greater than 140 passages), has a transformed phenotype in vitro (clonogenic on plastic and in agar) but remains nontumorigenic. Despite the altered and unlimited growth potential, HaCaT cells, similar to normal keratinocytes, reform an orderly structured and differentiated epidermal tissue when transplanted onto nude mice. Differentiation-specific keratins (Nos. 1 and 10) and other markers (involucrin and filaggrin) are expressed and regularly located. Thus, HaCaT is the first permanent epithelial cell line from adult human skin that exhibits normal differentiation and provides a promising tool for studying regulation of keratinization in human cells. On karyotyping this line is aneuploid (initially hypodiploid) with unique stable marker chromosomes indicating monoclonal origin. The identity of the HaCaT line with the tissue of origin was proven by DNA fingerprinting using hypervariable minisatellite probes. This is the first demonstration that the DNA fingerprint pattern is unaffected by long-term cultivation, transformation, and multiple chromosomal alterations, thereby offering a unique possibility for unequivocal identification of human cell lines. The characteristics of the HaCaT cell line clearly document that spontaneous transformation of human adult keratinocytes can occur in vitro and is associated with sequential chromosomal alterations, though not obligatorily linked to major defects in differentiation.

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Crossref · 10.1083/jcb.106.3.761

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  • The HaCaT, HUVEC, SV-HUC-1, and hEM15A cell lines were totally free from cross-contamination.

    “The HaCaT [34], HUVEC [35], SV-HUC-1[36], and hEM15A cell lines established from immortalized human skin cutis cells, umbilical cords, ureteral epithelium and endometrial stromal cells were totally free from cross-contamination.”
  • HaCaT cell line is immortal (>140 passages) but remains nontumorigenic, and is aneuploid (hypotetraploid) with unique stable marker chromosomes indicating monoclonal origin.

    “This cell line is immortal (>140 passages) but remains nontumorigenic, and it is aneuploid (hypotetraploid) with unique stable marker chromosomes indicating monoclonal origin [40].”

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Authors
Boukamp, P., Petrussevska, R. T., Breitkreutz, D., Hornung, J., Markham, A., & Fusenig, N. E.
Affiliations
German Cancer Research Center (DE)
Venue
The Journal of cell biology
Published
1988-03-01
Volume
106
Issue
3
Pages
761-771
ISSN
  • 0021-9525 (ISSN-L)
  • 1540-8140
OpenAlex
W2143464311
Cited by
4,170
References
53
Citations by year
2026: 103 · 2025: 109 · 2024: 126 · 2023: 116 · 2022: 132 · 2021: 141 · 2020: 138 · 2019: 111 · 2018: 121 · 2017: 136 · 2016: 147 · 2015: 148 · 2014: 157 · 2013: 165 · 2012: 152
FWCI
9.52
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-sa
Locations
  • The Journal of Cell Biology (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Skin and Cellular Biology Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and rare skin diseases.
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Urology › Hair Growth and Disorders
Keywords
human keratinocytes, spontaneous immortalization, aneuploidy, epidermal differentiation, keratinization, keratin 1, keratin 10, involucrin, filaggrin, cell line identification, DNA fingerprinting, minisatellite markers, chromosomal abnormalities, karyology
MeSH terms
Epidermal Cells, Filaggrin Proteins, Aneuploidy, Calcium, Cell Division, Cell Line, Transformed, Chromosomes, Human, DNA, Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Humans, Karyotyping, Keratins, Male, Middle Aged, Temperature

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