[1] A431 cells were established from an epidermoid carcinoma in the skin (epidermis) of an 85- year-old female patient.
They contain no functional p53, a potent tumor suppressor gene, and are highly sensitive to mitogenic stimuli.
In xenografts, A431 cells have shown antitumorigenic properties of introduced EGF and related radiation sensitization characteristics.
Other in vitro studies have found EGF to also cause substantial lowering of DNA replication and protein synthesis.
[5] The A431 lines engineered to express tumor antigens such as mesothelin[6] and GPC3[7] have been made as cell models to test cancer therapeutics.