PC-3 (prostate cancer cell line) (PC-3)

PC-3 is a human prostate cancer cell line established from a bone metastasis of a grade IV prostatic adenocarcinoma in a 62-year-old Caucasian male (Kaighn et al., 1979). It is one of the most widely used models in prostate cancer research, specifically representing advanced, androgen-independent or castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) (Tai et al., 2011). PC-3 cells are characterized by their high metastatic potential, low acid phosphatase activity, and the absence of significant androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) expression (ATCC, CRL-1435). Because it is a complex biological system rather than a single protein or enzyme, it is not classified as a therapeutic target itself but rather as a tool for drug discovery and mechanistic studies (Sobel & Sadar, 2005). Research using PC-3 often focuses on identifying novel targets for metastatic prostate cancer and evaluating the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents like docetaxel or experimental inhibitors of pathways like PI3K/Akt/mTOR (Pulukuri et al., 2005). The cell line's PTEN-null status and aggressive growth make it a standard for testing therapies aimed at highly invasive, hormone-refractory tumors (Fraser et al., 2012).

Other names

PC3PC-3 cell lineProstate cancer cell line 3

Not applicable; PC-3 is a biological model system (cell line) used to study various drug mechanisms such as microtubule stabilization or PI3K pathway inhibition rather than being a single molecular target.