VARIANTS OF A HUMAN COLON ADENOCARCINOMA CELL LINE WHICH DIFFER IN MORPHOLOGY AND CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN PRODUCTION

Abstract

A variant, HCT-8R, of the colon adenocarcinoma cell line HCT-8 was isolated and cloned. The variant and parent cell line were characterized with respect to morphology, growth characteristics, karyotype, production of CEA [carcinoembryonic antigen] and ability to form tumors in nude mice. The variant cells differed from the parent cells in morphology, marker chromosomes and ability to form colonies in soft agar and produced more CFA. The 2 cell strains wer equally oncogenic in nude mice, although HCT-8R cells produced poorly differentiated tumors while HCT-8 cells produced tumors with differentiated and poorly differentiated areas. In nude mice, no correlation was observed between CFA production by cells and their oncogenicity.