Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol., Vol 12, No. 4, Apr 1995, 385-395.
Phenotype and differentiation potential of a novel rat tracheal epithelial cell line
MM Doherty, J Liu, SH Randell, CA Carter, CW Davis, P Nettesheim and PC Ferriola
Laboratory of Pulmonary Pathobiology, National Institute of Environmental Health Science, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
In this report we described the establishment and characterization of a
continuous rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cell line spontaneously derived
from secondary RTE cell cultures. Designated SPOC1, this cell line is
nontumorigenic and maintains a diploid karyotype with specific, nonrandom
chromosomal alterations involving chromosomes 1, 3, and 6. SPOC1 cells
demonstrate decreased requirements for peptide growth factors, compared
with primary RTE cells. Upon inoculation into denuded rat tracheas, which
are then implanted into syngeneic hosts, SPOC1 cells initially form a
stratified squamous epithelium, which becomes less stratified with time and
forms glandlike invaginations into the surrounding lamina propria. No
evidence of ciliated cell differentiation is detected. The epithelium
formed by SPOC1 cells in tracheal grafts reacts with antibodies specific
for keratin 14, 13, and 19 (but not keratin 18) at both early and late time
points, although the localization of antibody staining changes as the
epithelium becomes less stratified with time. The suprabasal epithelial
cells become positive for alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff staining at
later time points. The near-normal karyotype and differentiation potential
of SPOC1 cells make this cell line a unique window into early changes
occurring during immortalization of airway epithelial cells and will allow
studies of relationships between differentiation state and neoplastic
transformation.
