biology

Raji cell

Raji cell is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Raji cell rather than just read about it. In short: Raji is the first continuous human cell line of hematopoietic origin. The Raji cell line is widely used as a transfection host.

Key takeaways

Raji cell belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Raji cell to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Raji cell from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Raji is the first continuous human cell line of hematopoietic origin. The Raji cell line is widely used as a transfection host. Raji cells were derived from the B-lymphocytes of an 11-year-old Nigerian Burkitt lymphoma male patient in 1963 by R.J.V. Pulvertaft and was further worked on by B.O. Osunkoya (University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria). The Raji cell line is categorized as lymphoblast-like. The culture medium used to grow Raji cells is RPMI supplemented with serum. Some characteristics of Raji cells include a lack of differentiation, illustrated by the formation of large aggregations of hundreds of individual cells. The cells are relatively small in diameter (5-8 μm), have irregular indented nuclei, and almost extensive cytoplasm with free ribosomes which tend to clump. Raji cells grow as single, non-motile, free-floating (non-adhesion) individuals or doublets to glass. Some cells look elongated, pear-shaped with larger, multinucleate, round cells. The Raji cell line produces an unusual strain of Epstein–Barr virus, which both transforms cord blood lymphocytes and induces early antigens in the cells. Translocations between chromosomes 8 and 22 have occurred in all three variations of the Raji cell line, but some cells synthesize immunoglobulin M with light chains of the kappa type, in contrast to the usual concordance between a translocation involving chromosome 22 and lambda chain synthesis. Both kappa genes and one lambda gene are rearranged. These findings indicate either that translocation may occur as a separate event from immunoglobulin gene rearrangement or that the proposed hierarchical sequence of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements is not always adhered to. The data also imply that in cells containing a translocation between the long arm of chromosome 8 and a chromosome bearing an immunoglobulin gene, alteration of cellular myc expression may occur regardless of the immunoglobulin gene that is expressed. The cells grow in a suspension, are diploid, and are lymphoblastoid in morphology.

References

External links Cellosaurus entry for Raji

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Raji cell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Raji cell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Raji cell before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Raji cell ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Raji cell

In research: Raji cell appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Raji cell in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Raji cell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cancer cell lines, Human cell lines, Lymphoma cell lines, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Raji cell outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Raji cell” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Raji cell in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Raji cell means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Raji cell out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Raji cell in simple terms?

Raji is the first continuous human cell line of hematopoietic origin. The Raji cell line is widely used as a transfection host.

Why does Raji cell matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Raji cell?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Raji cell.