NIH/3T3 (ATCC ® CRL-1658) is an adherent, fibroblastic cell line used as a model in in vitroexperiments due to the high survivability and short transition through the cell cycle. A high concentration of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has been shown to increase collagen production, which is essential for extra cellular matrix formation and skin integrity. In other cell lines, researchers have seen that upregulation of an integrin protein results in the down regulation of another, also known as an integrin switch. NIH/3T3 cells treated with ascorbic acid may lead to an integrin switch, potentially upregulating Itgb1, a gene that regulates collagen processing, while downregulating other integrin genes involved in cell differentiation and proliferation. This research will investigate this possible integrin switch and how it is associated with changes in collagen production and the cell cycle. High concentration of ascorbic acid is becoming a common cancer treatment for some individuals, and NIH/3T3 cells may serve as a model to gain a better understanding of how integrin expression on cancer-associated fibroblasts may play a role in cancers such as leukemias and sarcomas
