WM902B Viable Cells

Cells are sterile, validated by short tandem repeat profiling, and are tested as negative for mycoplasma. It is recommended that cell lines are tested for mycoplasma contamination and short tandem repeat (STR) profiling every 10 passages or each time a frozen seed stock is made. See cell culture protocol for additional details. WM902B is a tumorigenic (VGP) primary melanoma cell line with competence for metastasis. This cell line features the specific V600E (Val600Glu) mutation at codon 600 in the BRAF gene. This mutation causes constitutively active kinase activity and activation of MEK and ERK signaling pathway. This cell line also expresses PTEN loss of function including hemizygous deletion and R24L mutation at position 24 in the CDK4 gene. The R24L mutation results in an amino acid substitution at codon 24 in CDK4, from an arginine (R) to Leucine (L). This mutation renders the protein resistant to the inhibitory effects of INK4A function. WM902B cells produce xenograft tumors when injected into immunocompromised mice.