Gene Expression Analysis of Specific Genes Related to Genomic Stability in Colon Cancer Cell Lines - A Resource for Cancer Research

Appropriate cell models are the foundation of cancer research as all the cell lines are not the same in their ability to mimic primary tumor tissue. Molecular characteristics of various cell lines can help in selecting the right cell model for biomedical studies. This study describes the gene expression profile of nine genes, include the six-protein shelterin complex, tankyrases1and 2, and CTNNB1 in three different models of human colon cancer cell lines. Also, the relative telomere length in each cell line was evaluated. All genes' expression levels were analyzed using a real-time polymerase chain reaction. Nearly all test genes were significantly highly expressed in HT-29 as compared to HCT-116 and SW-620. SW-620 record a significantly increased expression of the CTNNB1 gene (P-value < 0.01) while most genes were poorly expressed in HCT-116. A positive correlation between CTNNB1 and hTERT expression was found in HCT-116 and SW-620 but not in HT-29. Telomere was found to be of the same length in all cell. Gene expression data presented in our results can assist in selecting appropriate cell lines in colon cancer research. Unique molecular properties of various cancer cell lines should be evaluated before selecting a cell line mmodelfor research purposes.