MONOLAYER CULTURE OF HUMAN URINARY BLADDER TUMORS: II

Abstract

1. Culture cells originated from human bladder carcinoma tissue, (transitional cell carcinoma Grade 3) have continued active proliferation over 920 days passing 30 times of subcultures since the preliminary report which described the successful culture of the cells as they passed 12 months.
2. The cells are stable and tend to be more monomorphic by passing subcultures.
3. Colonies of the cells are larger and thinner than that of HeLa cells cultured in the same conditions.
4. Mean generation time of the cells was 36 hours by the growth curve.
5. Activities of β-glucuronidase determined by histochemistry on the cells showed high in the primary cultures but gradually decreased by passing subcultures. The enzyme activities in HeLa cells were lower and diffuse. There was no remarkable differences in lactic dehydrogenase and succinic dehydrogenase activities.
6. Diacetylglucarodilactone, an inhibitor of β-glucuronidase affects on the primary culture cells but not on the cells after passing subcultures. The degree of degeneration was severer than on the HeLa cells in the same conditions.
7. Activities of β-glucuronidase in culture with chemically determined media remained high in the primary cultures but lowered by passing subcultures. The enzyme activities in HeLa cells were lower than in the cells.
8. By electron microscopy several morphological characteristics of transitional cells, microvilli on the surface, intercellular connections, and intracellular compressive vesicles were observed in the cells.
9. Tetracycline fluorescence of the cells was strongly observed than the HeLa cells under ultraviolet fluorescence microscope.