ESTABLISHMENT OF A HUMAN-PLASMA CELL LINE INVITRO

Abstract

A human [leukemic] plasma cell line designated ARH-77 was established and propagated in culture for the past 2 yr. The cells exhibited morphological characteristics of plasma cells under light microscopic and EM examination. An average of 40% cells are positive for immunoglobulin G by direct immunofluorescence, while an immunoglobulin G-specific radioimmunoassay reveals the production of 1.21 .times. 104 ng/106 plasma cells. The karyotype is aneuploid with a modal chromosome number of 45-46 and no marker chromosome. Growth kinetics characteristics are: doubling time, 110.4 h; generation time, 56.4 h; G1 + G2-phase transit time, 45.5 h; S-phase transit time, 10.9 h; growth fraction, 74%; mitotic index, 1.5%; labeling index, 14.3%; and cell loss, 31.0%. Some of the growth kinetics characteristics were similar to the properties displayed in vivo by plasma cells of patients with multiple myeloma and suggest that the cell line might be a useful in vitro model for the study of human myeloma.