Nluc Reporter Cell Line - U-118MG

U-118MG is a human brain tumor cell line historically described as originating from an astrocytic tumor in a 47-year-old male and widely used as an experimental model of malignant glioma. The Nluc Reporter Cell Line - U-118MG is an engineered derivative expressing NanoLuc luciferase. NanoLuc is a compact, ATP-independent reporter enzyme that produces bright luminescence in the presence of a compatible furimazine-based substrate, enabling sensitive quantification of reporter-bearing cells.

The reporter line provides a practical platform for studying glioma-cell proliferation, viability and therapeutic response. Luminescence-based assays can be adapted to multiwell formats for compound screening and for evaluating cytotoxic, cytostatic or combination treatments, including experimental regimens involving temozolomide. Because the parental lineage carries alterations affecting PTEN and TP53, it may also support mechanistic studies of tumor-suppressor signaling, survival pathways and treatment resistance, provided that conclusions are confirmed using additional glioma models. In three-dimensional cultures or co-culture systems, the reporter signal can assist with tracking tumor-cell abundance when direct cell counting is difficult. Following suitable in vivo validation, Nluc-expressing U-118MG cells may also be used in immunodeficient mouse xenografts to monitor tumor establishment and treatment-associated changes through repeated bioluminescence imaging.