<table class="infobox infobox-cell">
<tr>
<th class="infobox-header" colspan="2">SH-SY5Y Cell Line</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Species</td>
<td>Human (Homo sapiens)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Tissue</td>
<td>Bone marrow (metastatic neuroblastoma)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Age</td>
<td>4 years old (donor)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Sex</td>
<td>Female</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Karyotype</td>
<td>Modal number = 47 (trisomy 1q)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Blood type</td>
<td>A, Rh+</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Growth pattern</td>
<td>Mixed adherent/suspension</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Population doubling time</td>
<td>~48 hours</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">ATCC Catalog</td>
<td>CRL-2266</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Agent</td>
<td>Concentration</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">dbcAMP</td>
<td>1 mM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">GDNF</td>
<td>20 ng/mL</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">TPA</td>
<td>80 nM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">DAPT</td>
<td>10 muM</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Cell Line</td>
<td>Origin</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">SK-N-SH</td>
<td>Neuroblastoma (parent line)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">SK-N-Be(2)</td>
<td>Neuroblastoma</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">PC12</td>
<td>Rat pheochromocytoma</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">LUHMES</td>
<td>Immortalized human neurons</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">iPSC-derived neurons</td>
<td>Induced pluripotent stem cells</td>
</tr>
</table>
SH-SY5Y is a human neuroblastoma cell line widely used as an in vitro model for studying neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and related disorders. This cell line serves as a valuable tool for investigating neuronal differentiation, synaptic function, neurotoxicity, and therapeutic drug screening.
SH-SY5Y is a subclone of the SK-N-SH cell line, which was originally established in 1970 from a metastatic bone tumor of a 4-year-old female patient with neuroblastoma[@biedler1978]. The SK-N-SH line was subsequently cloned to generate the SH-SY5Y subclone, which exhibits enhanced neuronal differentiation potential compared to the parent line[@atcc].
In their undifferentiated state, SH-SY5Y cells exhibit a neuroblast-like morphology with both adherent and non-adherent populations. They express low levels of neuronal markers and retain some characteristics of proliferative neural crest-derived cells. Key features include:
Upon treatment with differentiation agents, SH-SY5Y cells undergo morphological and biochemical changes resembling mature [neurons](/entities/neurons):
Retinoic acid is the most commonly used differentiation agent for SH-SY5Y cells. RA activates nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs), which regulate gene expression programs involved in neuronal maturation[@encinas2000].
Protocol Overview:
Molecular Mechanisms:
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promotes neuronal survival and differentiation through TrkB receptor activation[@kaplan1991]. BDNF treatment following RA priming produces more mature dopaminergic neurons.
Protocol Overview:
SH-SY5Y cells are extensively used as a Parkinson's disease model due to their ability to differentiate into dopaminergic-like neurons. Key research applications include:
SH-SY5Y cells serve as a high-throughput screening platform for potential PD therapeutics:
[LRRK2](/entities/lrrk2) (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2) is the most common genetic cause of familial PD. SH-SY5Y cells with LRRK2 mutations (G2019S, R1441C/G/H) are used to study:
Beyond PD, SH-SY5Y cells are valuable for AD research:
The following diagram shows the key molecular relationships involving SH-SY5Y Cell Line discovered through SciDEX knowledge graph analysis: