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Can cell culture or itssue cultures live " forever" ? | new2bio | 2001-10-18 | Click here to register. |
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| I have learned that in some cases the cell cultures or tissue clutures can live "forever". Do you know what molecular explanation accounts for the difference between cultures have a limited life span and cultures can live "forever" ? Thank you. | | |
| jpartee | 2001-10-19 | Click here to register. |
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 | You are talking about "immortalized" cell lines. These are cell lines that live forever (usually cancer cells) without undergoing apoptosis or senescence (normal cell aging death). Of course why some cells are immortal is the million dollar question. Nobody knows for sure what makes cells undergo senescence or live forever. On thought revolves around telomeres (small bits of DNA at the end of chromosomes that code for nothing) that get shorter as the cells reproduce. Once this telomere is gone, the cell dies.
Scientists have proven that this is a viable theory by adding telomerase (keeps the telomere from getting shorter) to normal cell lines and making the cells immortal.
However, this is not the method that cancer cells become immortal.
If you can find the answer to that, you would be well on the way to finding a cure for cancer.
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