PtK2 cells

[1] This cell line is used for a variety of applications in biomedical research but is particularly popular as a model for mitosis.

[2] The PtK2 cell line was established by Kirsten Walen and Spencer Brown in 1962.

[3] Cells from the rat kangaroo were selected as the source of a cell line because this species has only a small number of chromosomes and these chromosomes are easily visualized under a microscope; mitosis becomes easy to observe, and the structural aspects of cell division can be closely examined.

They are susceptible to coxsackievirus A9, herpes simplex, vaccinia, and vesicular stomatitis (Ogden strain).

[6] PtK2 cells contain intermediate filaments composed of Keratin.