SW837

SW837 is a human colorectal cancer cell line originally established from a rectal adenocarcinoma tumor sample of a male patient. It is a model for an advanced colorectal malignancy and is often used as an in vitro model for the study of rectal and colorectal cancer biology. In culture, SW837 cells form an adherent monolayer with an epithelial-like appearance and exhibit stable proliferation in standard culture conditions and is typically maintained in Leibovitz's L-15 or DMEM culture medium with fetal bovine serum supplementation. SW837 cells carry molecular alterations that are known to be oncogenic in colorectal cancer, including activating mutations in KRAS and alterations in the TP53 tumor suppressor pathway. The presence of these mutations results in aberrant activation of pathways controlling cell proliferation, survival, and anti-apoptotic mechanisms, providing a platform to model cellular and molecular processes in colorectal cancer. The cell line also exhibits karyotypic changes that are common in advanced colorectal carcinomas.

In terms of cellular function, SW837 cells exhibit malignant characteristics, such as enhanced proliferation, dysregulated signaling pathways, and sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs and targeted inhibitors. SW837, which is dependent on MAPK signaling due to the mutant KRAS, is used to model the impact of MAPK modulation, drug resistance and the testing of inhibitors in colorectal cancer, as well as studies on tumor metabolism, invasion and biomarker discovery.