The CV-1 cell line is a widely utilized fibroblast line that was established in the mid-1960s from the kidney tissue of an adult male African green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops). When the line was first initiated, CV-1 cells were primarily used in scientific investigations of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV).

More recently, the CV-1 line has garnered a significant amount of usage as a host for acquired immunodeficiency disease (AIDS) research. The cells are also frequently employed in transfection experiments with simian virus 40 (SV40) and recombinant plasmid vectors. CV-1 cells demonstrate susceptibility to a variety of viruses, including herpes simplex, Eastern and Western equine encephalitis, poliovirus 1, California encephalitis, and simian virus 40. The cells, which are negative for the enzyme reverse transcriptase, tend to grow rapidly in culture. At high passage levels, variations in chromosome number sometimes occur.

Studies of the Rous sarcoma virus with CV-1 and other cell lines have been very important to the modern understanding of cancer. RSV was discovered in 1911 by Peyton Rous, an American scientist who provided the first evidence that a virus could be oncogenic through an experiment in which he induced cancer in an otherwise healthy chicken by injecting it with a cell-free extract derived from the cancerous tumor of a hen. Nevertheless, the possibility that a virus could cause cancer was received with significant skepticism, but further research clearly confirmed the plausibility of Rous's views, and more than half a century later, Rous's work with RSV earned him the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Investigations of RSV, now known to be a retrovirus comprised of only four genes, is ongoing and may one day help lead to a cure for some types of cancer.

The intracellular relationship between the cytoskeletal filamentous actin network and mitochondria present in a culture of CV-1 fibroblast cells (illustrated above) was visualized with the use of the probes Alexa Fluor 488 conjugated to phalloidin (yielding green fluorescence emission) and MitoTracker Red CMXRos. Cell nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue emission). Images were recorded in grayscale with a 12-bit digital camera coupled to either a Nikon E-600 or Eclipse 80i microscope equipped with bandpass emission fluorescence filter optical blocks. During the processing stage, individual image channels were pseudocolored with RGB values corresponding to each of the fluorophore emission spectral profiles.

Visualizing the Microtubule Network in CV-1 Fibroblasts with Immunofluorescence - The culture of African green monkey kidney cells presented in this section was immunofluorescently labeled with primary anti-tubulin mouse monoclonal antibodies followed by goat anti-mouse secondary antibody fragments (Fab) conjugated to Rhodamine Red-X. In addition, the specimen was subsequently counterstained for DNA in the cell nucleus with DAPI.

Distribution of DNA, F-Actin, and Mitochondria in African Green Monkey Kidney Cells - SYTOX Green and Alexa Fluor 350 conjugated to phalloidin were utilized to target nuclear DNA and filamentous actin, respectively, in a culture of CV-1 fibroblasts. The specimen was also stained for mitochondria with MitoTracker Red CMXRos.

Tubulin Localization Experiments with CV-1 Cell Cultures - The microtubules present in the log phase culture of African monkey kidney cells featured in this section were immunofluorescently labeled with primary anti-tubulin mouse monoclonal antibodies followed by goat anti-mouse Fab fragments conjugated to Rhodamine Red-X. Hoechst 33258, which selectively binds to DNA in cell nuclei, was utilized to counterstain the specimen.

Monkey Kidney Fibroblasts Triple Labeled with MitoTracker Red CMXRos, Alexa Fluor 633, and SYTOX Green - The visualization of mitochondria present in the culture of monkey kidney fibroblasts (CV-1 line) illustrated in this section was achieved with fluorescent labeling of the specimen with MitoTracker Red CMXRos, a derivative of X-rosamine. In addition, the culture was labeled for the cytoskeletal F-actin network and DNA in the cell nucleus with Alexa Fluor 633 conjugated to phalloidin and SYTOX Green, respectively.

Localizing the Golgi Complex in CV-1 Cells with Wheat Germ Agglutinin - In order to localize the Golgi complex in CV-1 cells, an adherent fibroblast culture was treated with wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to Oregon Green 488. The cells were subsequently counterstained with the nucleic acid stain DAPI to label DNA in the nucleus and Alexa Fluor 568 conjugated to phalloidin to visualize the filamentous actin network.