Establishment and characterization of a cell line of human breast carcinoma origin.

Keydar I, Chen L, Karby S, Weiss FR, Delarea J, Radu M, Chaitcik S, Brenner HJ.
European Journal of Cancer. 1979 May;15(5):659-670.
Abstract
A cell line (T-47D) has been established from the pleural effusion of a patient with breast carcinoma. These cells exhibit epithelial morphology and form monolayers in culture. The mammary epithelial characteristics are also supported by immunohistologic detection of intracellular casein and the presence of steroid receptors characteristic of mammary tissue. Electron microscopy reveals the presence of desmosomes, tonofilament bundles and tubular-like structures which are characteristic of epithelial cells. In addition, the cultured cells exhibit an aneuploid karyotype with a mode of 66 chromosomes, including an extra-long subtelocentric chromosome. The cytosol of the T-47D cells contains specific high affinity receptors for estradiol, progesterone, glucocorticoid and androgen. Sedimentation studies indicated that the four hormone-receptor complexes were all 7–8S. Competition studies showed that steroid binding to estrogen and progesterone receptors was inhibited only by the homologous hormone, whereas binding of dexamethasone and dihydrotestosterone to their respective receptors was inhibited by certain other steroids as well.