Summary
Eighty-five breast cancer specimens were processed as part of a program in tumor acquisition, propagation, and preservation for biotherapy. Nine long-term culture cell lines were developed. Four cell lines were from solid tumor metastases, two lines were from pleural fluid specimens, and three were from xenograft tumors grown in nude mice. Two of the xenograft-derived cell lines were from biopsies which produced tumor cell lines as well. Success in establishing cultures did not correlate with the viability of the biopsy received. Poor tumor cell attachment to culture plastic was the most common problem. For certain specimens, attachment and growth were enhanced on collagen and extracellular matrix substrates. Collagen was beneficial in the development of one cell line. The cell lines were characterized and each of the lines contained more nuclear DNA than found in normal cells. Four of five lines tested were tumorigenic in nude mice. Five of nine were clonogenic in soft agar. Each of the cell lines tested reacted with at least two anti-tumor monoclonal antibodies. Xenograft and biopsy-derived cell lines from the same tumor were similar in their characteristics. While breast cancers are indeed difficult to establish and propagate in culture, the use of xenografts and special substrates appears to be beneficial in the development of cell lines from some tumors.
Article PDF
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Perlin E, Oldham R, Weese J, Heim W, Reid J, Mills M, Miller C, Blom J, Green D, Bellinger S, Cannon G, Law I, Connor K, Herberman R: Immunotherapy of carcinoma of the lung by intradermal BCG and allogeneic tumor cells. J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 6: 1033–1039, 1980
Dillman RO, Shawler DL, Johnson DE, Meyer DL, Koziol JA, Frincke JN: Preclinical trials with combinations and conjugates of T101 monoclonal antibody and doxorubicin. Cancer Res 46: 4886–4891, 1986
Harkonen S, Stoudemire J, Mischak R, Spitler LE, Lopez H, Scannon P: Toxicity and immunogenicity of monoclonal anti-melanoma antibody-ricin-A chain immunotoxin in rats. Cancer Res 47: 1377–1382, 1987
Maleckar JR, Friddell CS, Sferruzza A, Thurman GB, Lewko WM, West WH, Oldham RK, Yannelli JR: Activation and expansion of tumor derived activated cells (TDAC). J Natl Cancer Inst 1: 1655–1660, 1989
Reed MV, Gey GO: Cultivation of normal and malignant human lung tissue. Lab Invest 11: 638–652, 1962
Giraldo G, Beth E, Hirshaut Y, Aoki T, Old L, Boyse E, Chopra H: Human sarcomas in culture. J Exp Med 133: 454–477, 1971
Cailleau R, Olive M, Cruciger QVJ: Long-term human breast carcinoma cell lines of metastatic origin: preliminary characterization. In Vitro 14: 911–915, 1978
Langlois AJ, Holder WD, Iglehart JD, Nelson-Rees WA, Wells SA, Bolognesi DP: Morphological and biochemical properties of a new human breast cancer cell line. Cancer Res 39: 2604–2613, 1979
Pettingill OS, Lewko WM: Cell culture of human metastatic breast carcinomas: a review. Mol Biother 1: 122–132, 1989
Lewko WM, Vaghmar R, Maleckar JR, Husseini S, Montgomery CA, Thurman GB, Oldham RK: Cultured breast cystosarcoma phylloides cells and applications to patient therapy. Breast Cancer Res Treat 17: 131-138
Strom SC, Michalopoulos G: Collagen as a substrate for cell growth and differentiation. Methods Enzymol 82: 544–555, 1982
Lasfargues EY, Ozzello L: Culture of human breast carcinomas. J Natl. Cancer Inst 21: 1131–1148, 1958
Liao SK, Meranda C, Avner BP, Romano T, Husseini S, Kimbro B, Oldham RK: Immunohistochemical phenotyping of human solid tumors with monoclonal antibodies in devising biotherapeutic strategies. Cancer Immunol Immunother 28: 71–86, 1989
Ali-Osman F, Beltz PA: Optimization and characterization of the capillary human tumor clonogenic cell assay. Cancer Res 48: 715–724, 1988
Krishan A: Rapid flow cytometric analysis of mammalian cell cycle by propidium iodide staining. J Cell Biol 66: 188–193, 1975
Snedecor GW, Cochran WG: Statistical Methods (6th ed). Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa, 1967, Ch. 7
Wicha MS, Liotta LA, Vonderhaar BK, Kidwell WR: Effects of inhibitions of basement membrane collagen deposition on rat mammary gland development. Devel Biol 80: 253–266, 1980
Lewko WM, Liotta LA, Wicha MS, Vonderhaar BK, Kidwell WR: Sensitivity of N-nitrosomethylurea-induced rat mammary tumors to cis-hydroxyproline, an inhibitor of collagen production. Cancer Res 41: 2855–2862, 1981
Kidwell WR, Wicha MS, Saloman D, Liotta LA: Differential recognition of basement membrane collagen by normal and neoplastic cells in cell biology of breast cancer. In: McGrath C, Brennan MJ, Rich MA (eds) Cell Biology of Breast Cancer. Academic Press, New York, 1978, p 17–32
Lewko WM, Ladd P, Hubbard D, He YJ, Vaghmar R, Husseini S, Chang L, Moore M, Thurman GB, Oldham RK: Tumor acquisition, propagation and preservation, the culture of human colorectal cancer. Cancer 64: 1600–1608, 1989
Shafie SS, Grantham FH: Role of hormones in the growth and regression of human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) transplanted into athymic nude mice. J Natl Cancer Inst 67: 51–56, 1981
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lewko, W.M., Vaghmar, R., Hubbard, D. et al. Cultured cell lines from human breast cancer biopsies and xenografts. Breast Cancer Res Tr 17, 121–129 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01806292
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01806292