It is used to test leukemia cell lines in immunocytochemical analysis of protein-protein interactions, and immunohistochemistry.
The cells were derived from the peripheral blood of a 1-year-old human male with acute monocytic leukemia.
Some of their characteristics are:[1] THP-1 can provide continuous culture when grown in suspension; RPMI 1640 + 10% FBS + 2mM L-Glutamine.
1 mM sodium pyruvate, penicillin (100 units/ml) and streptomycin (100 μg/ml) are also commonly added to inhibit bacterial contamination.
[5] THP-1 cells are of human origin, and no evidence has been found for the presence of infectious viruses or toxic products.