U937 cells are a model cell line used in biomedical research

Biomedical research

Biomedical research , in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research, applied research, or translational research conducted to aid and support the body of knowledge in the field of medicine...

. They were isolated from the histiocytic lymphoma

Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...

 of a 37 year old male patient and are used to study the behaviour and differentiation

Cellular differentiation

In developmental biology, cellular differentiation is the process by which a less specialized cell becomes a more specialized cell type. Differentiation occurs numerous times during the development of a multicellular organism as the organism changes from a simple zygote to a complex system of...

 of monocytes. U937 cells mature and differentiate in response to a number of soluble stimuli, adopting the morphology and characteristics of mature macrophage

Macrophage

Macrophages are cells produced by the differentiation of monocytes in tissues. Human macrophages are about in diameter. Monocytes and macrophages are phagocytes. Macrophages function in both non-specific defense as well as help initiate specific defense mechanisms of vertebrate animals...

s.

U937 cells are of the myeloid lineage and so secrete a large number of cytokines and chemokines either constitutively (e.g. IL-1 and GM-CSF) or in response to soluble stimuli. TNFα and recombinant GM-CSF independently promote IL-10

Interleukin 10

Interleukin-10 , also known as human cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor , is an anti-inflammatory cytokine. In humans IL-10 is encoded by the IL10 gene....

 production in U937 cells.

IFNγ

Interferon-gamma

Interferon-gamma is a dimerized soluble cytokine that is the only member of the type II class of interferons. This interferon was originally called macrophage-activating factor, a term now used to describe a larger family of proteins to which IFN-γ belongs...

 increases the expression

Gene expression

Gene expression is the process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product. These products are often proteins, but in non-protein coding genes such as ribosomal RNA , transfer RNA or small nuclear RNA genes, the product is a functional RNA...

 of chemokine receptor

Chemokine receptor

Chemokine receptors are cytokine receptors found on the surface of certain cells, which interact with a type of cytokine called a chemokine. There have been 19 distinct chemokine receptors described in mammals...

s (CCR1

CCR1

C-C chemokine receptor type 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CCR1 gene.CCR1 has also recently been designated CD191 .-External links:...

, CCR3

CCR3 (gene)

C-C chemokine receptor type 3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CCR3 gene.CCR3 has also recently been designated CD193 .-Interactions:CCR3 has been shown to interact with CCL5....

 and CCR5

CCR5

C-C chemokine receptor type 5, also known as CCR5, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CCR5 gene. CCR5 is a member of the beta chemokine receptors family of integral membrane proteins...

) as well as that of nuclear receptor

Nuclear receptor

In the field of molecular biology, nuclear receptors are a class of proteins found within cells that are responsible for sensing steroid and thyroid hormones and certain other molecules...

s for melatonin

Melatonin

Melatonin , also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring compound found in animals, plants, and microbes...

. IFNγ treatment enhances thrombin

Thrombin

Thrombin is a "trypsin-like" serine protease protein that in humans is encoded by the F2 gene. Prothrombin is proteolytically cleaved to form thrombin in the first step of the coagulation cascade, which ultimately results in the stemming of blood loss...

-induced IL-8

Interleukin 8

Interleukin-8 is a chemokine produced by macrophages and other cell types such as epithelial cells. It is also synthesized by endothelial cells, which store IL-8 in their storage vesicles, the Weibel-Palade bodies...

 production and is required for the melatonin-induced production of IL-6

Interleukin 6

Interleukin-6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IL6 gene.IL-6 is an interleukin that acts as both a pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine. It is secreted by T cells and macrophages to stimulate immune response, e.g. during infection and after trauma, especially burns or other...

.



U937 can be grown in DMEM or 1640 medium plus 10% fetal bovine serum.