HeLa

Description

HeLa is a human cervical carcinoma cell line that was originally isolated from the cervix tissue of a 31-year-old Black female patient with cervical adenocarcinoma; it’s the first established human immortal cell line. HeLa exhibits epithelial-like morphology and adherent culture properties. The stemline karyotype of HeLa is around 76–80, with a large proportion of chromosome mutations. The HeLa cell line demonstrates five distinct HPV-18 integration loci, with three insertions identified on the long arm of chromosome 8 (8q24) and two additional integration sites mapped to structurally altered derivative chromosomes: der(5)t(5;22;8)(q11;q11q13;q24) and der(22)t(8;22)(q24;q13).

Application

• HeLa cells exhibit diverse applications in infectious disease and biomedical research, including the study of infectious diseases and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as bioproduction. Their utility extends to investigating virus replication, assembly, and pathogenesis, aiding in antiviral strategy development. Moreover, HeLa cells serve as transfection hosts for gene function and regulation studies, recombinant protein production, and gene therapy investigations. These cells have been instrumental in pivotal scientific achievements, including the isolation of Hepatitis B, polio vaccine development, and uncovering chromosome structure, marking their indispensable contribution to groundbreaking discoveries.