Effects of Long-Term Culture in Vitro on Human Lung Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

The effects of long-term culture in vitro on human lung cancer cell lines established in our laboratory were examined from the points of view of cell proliferation, cell surface antigens, and tissue reconstruction in heterotransplanted tumor.
The doubling time of lung cancer cells decreased and reconstructed tissue showedmore undifferentiated histological findings, compared with the data immediately after the establishment of these cell lines. Nevertheless, cell surface antigens, CEA, EMA, and EGF-R, were recognized on several cells after long-term culture. These results suggest that long-term culture elevates proliferative activity, but may not affect the antigenicity of lung cancer cells.
When we use cancer cell lines in experiments, it is important to understand the characteristics of the cells at the time of use and to select appropriate cell lines.