Human Bone Osteosarcoma Epithelial Cells (U2OS Line)

The U2OS cell line, originally known as the 2T line, was cultivated from the bone tissue of a fifteen-year-old human female suffering from osteosarcoma. Established in 1964, the original cells were taken from a moderately differentiated sarcoma of the tibia. U2OS cells exhibit epithelial adherent morphology and viruses were not detected in the line during co-cultivation with WI-38 cells or in CF tests against SV40, RSV, or adenoviruses. Mycoplasma contamination of the U2OS line was detected and subsequently eliminated in 1972. Cells are positive for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor II (IGF II) receptors and express a number of antigens, including blood type A, Rh+, HLA A2, Aw30, B12, Bw35, and B40(+/-).