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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Clonogenic Assay: Adherent Cells
Published on: March 13, 2011
Conditionally tumorigenic clone of C6 cells is induced by gamma-irradiation
1Department of Neurosurgery (M/C 799), University of Illinois at Chicago 60612, USA. alexkolc@uic.edu
Background:
Established cell lines are often heterogeneous in their response to ionizing radiation. The tumorigenicity of some cells can be rapidly induced by gamma-radiation.
Materials And Methods:
The tumorigenicity of individual clones of C6 rat glioblastoma cells and the effect of gamma-radiation on their growth in vivo was studied by intracranial implantation into Wistar rats.
Results:
A clone was found, C6#11, that was conditionally tumorigenic. It either did not form a tumor, or grew into a small encapsulated tumor, and did not cause death or neurological deficits in the animals. Gamma-irradiation of the animals (head only) with implanted C6#11 induced a fully developed invasive tumor that killed them within 25 days. Three grays of radiation of C6#11 cells two hours prior to implantation induced their tumorigenicity as well. The in vitro characteristics of the C6#11 cells as compared to a highly tumorigenic clone did not correlate with their behavior in vivo.
Conclusion:
The C6#11 clone is the first model of an experimental tumor that acquires tumorigenicity in an immuno-competent host immediately after low dose irradiation of the cells.
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