Calu-6

Calu-6 is a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line derived from the pleural effusion of a 61-year-old Caucasian female with anaplastic carcinoma. These epithelial-like, adherent cells form monolayers and exhibit a doubling time of 26–72 hours. Karyotypically, Calu-6 is hypotriploid (modal chromosome number 59), lacks the Y chromosome, and carries 14 marker chromosomes. Genetically, they harbor a heterozygous KRAS codon 61 mutation (p.Gln61Lys), are p53-negative, and show FA-BRCA pathway defects, making them useful in oncogenic and DNA repair studies. Tumorigenic in nude mice, they model poorly differentiated carcinomas and are widely used to investigate tumor suppressors and therapies. Overexpression of S100A6 suppresses proliferation, migration, and invasion, while enhancing apoptosis. Calu-6 cells also endogenously express human renin mRNA, which is upregulated by cAMP analogs—making them ideal for renin regulation studies.