title: A new human pleomorphic hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, KYN-2.
abstract: A new human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line, KYN-2, has been established from a surgical specimen obtained from a 52-year-old Japanese male HCC patient. The originally resected HCC was classified as pleomorphic HCC corresponding to Edmondson-Steiner's grade III with a thick trabecular to solid arrangement. The cell line has been maintained for 17 months through 35 passages. Morphologically, the KYN-2 cells have retained the characteristics of the original HCC, being pleomorphic and composed of various types such as cells with relatively small, polygonal, eosinophilic cytoplasm and oval-shaped nuclei with a marked tendency to pile up, flat cells with abundant clear cytoplasm and oval-shaped nuclei, and many multinucleated giant cells, proliferating in a pavement-like cell arrangement. Some junctional complexes and a number of microvilli are evident between the cells by electron microscopy. Functionally, these cells were found to secrete albumin, alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, alpha 1-antitrypsin, ceruloplasmin, transferrin, complement C, fibrinogen, fibronectin, prothrombin, retinol-binding protein (serum type), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), ferritin and beta 2-microglobulin in chemically defined medium (CDM). The secretion of AFP and CEA is apparently dependent upon culture medium and passage. The doubling time of cells growing in serum-containing medium at the 14th passage was 84 h, and those of cells in serum-containing medium, HB101 (serum-free medium) and CDM at late passage were 28, 68, and 42 h, respectively. Chromosome analysis revealed that the chromosome number ranged from 56 to 69 without a mode, and the presence of marker chromosomes. HB virus DNA sequence was not detected by hybridization analysis. The tumorigenicity of KYN-2 cells was identified by development of tumors in nude mice after subcutaneous injection of the cells; the tumors showed an appearance basically similar to that of the original HCC. Thus, these findings suggest that the KYN-2 cell line is available as a new human HCC cell line and should be useful for various studies on HCC.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Pathology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maruiwa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugihara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kojiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000276:immunology; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003470:Culture Media / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007621:Karyotyping; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003470:Culture Media