cell line

noun

Updated on: 28 Mar 2018

Definition of cell line

: a cell culture selected for uniformity from a cell population derived from a usually homogeneous tissue source (such as an organ)

a newly established cell line derived from a human endometrial carcinoma
—Biol. Abstracts

Recent Examples of cell line from the Web

To do this genetic trimming, the chromosomes in cells line up in pairs and exchange bits of genetic material before forming an egg or sperm cell.

— National Geographic, "Siblings Can Have Surprisingly Different DNA Ancestry. Here's Why.," 23 Mar. 2018
The cancer cells that were taken from Henrietta Lacks without her permission became the most widely used human cell line in biology.

— karla peterson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Obits where dead women tell their tales," 21 Mar. 2018
That genetic material then becomes integrated with the mother’s own, forming entirely new cell lines in these tissues.

— shannon leone fowler, The Cut, "The Strange Pregnancy Fact That Helped Me Mourn My Fiancé’s Death," 19 Mar. 2018
Lead has long been known to damage the epithelial cells lining the body's blood vessels, which increases the likelihood of developing plaques that can then cause a heart attack, said Landrigan.

— mark lieber, CNN, "US deaths from lead exposure 10 times higher than thought, study suggests," 12 Mar. 2018
For example Transcriptic, a firm in Silicon Valley, will also allow customers to store entire cell lines that may be tested later, or to grow tissues from them for testing.

— The Economist, "The gene machineRobotic labs for high-speed genetic research are on the rise," 1 Mar. 2018
The idea got started when Reuter started working in a VTT lab that cultivates plant cell lines for industrial use in things like cosmetics and medicine.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "In the Future, Will We Be Growing Fruit in Home Bioreactors?," 15 Feb. 2018
Stefano Bertuzzi, executive director of the American Society for Cell Biology, said the repercussions will last months, not only because of lost cell lines or animals, but because of logjammed grant proposals for future science.

— rebecca boyle, Popular Mechanics, "What the Shutdown Did to Science," 17 Oct. 2013
Rather than cells lining the walls, Frank said there are more activity rooms, with spaces for religion and spirituality, a library, a barbershop, and other spaces to encourage meaningful development.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "South Carolina Adopts Vera Institute of Justice's Restoring Promise Initiative," 30 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cell line.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cell line

1940

Medical Dictionary

cell line

noun

medical Definition of cell line

: a cell culture selected for uniformity from a cell population derived from a usually homogeneous tissue source (as an organ)

a newly established cell line derived from human endometrial carcinoma
—Biological Abstracts

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cell line

Definition of cell line

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First Known Use of cell line

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cell line

medical Definition of cell line

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cell line

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