Biomaterial Database

Morphologic and chromosomal study of a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line. 1994

K Kigasawa, and S Soushi, and Y Tanaka, and H Obazawa

Department of Ophthalmology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.

A spontaneously established cell line of human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) was investigated morphologically and studied by chromosomal analysis. Even after the 100th passage, cultured cells maintained epithelioid morphology, and had numerous microvilli and membrane-bound small dense bodies which looked like lysosomes. Abundant rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were observed in the cytoplasm, suggesting that these cells were metabolically active. The absence of pigmentation was noted from the 6th passage. In chromosomal analysis, a small number of 2nd passage cells showed karyotypic changes. At the 12th passage, a single cell line (44, 6-monosomy and Y-missing) was established. By the 100th passage, further karyotypic changes were noted (low tetraploid). The 6-monosomy might have played an important role in the establishment of this cell line. These results indicated that this cell line underwent some changes in chromosomal count and pigmentation but retained many original morphological characteristics. After further evaluation of its characteristics, this cell line, K-1034, could be useful experimental material in the study of the function of the human RPE.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007621	Karyotyping	Mapping of the KARYOTYPE of a cell.	Karyotype Analysis Methods,Analysis Method, Karyotype,Analysis Methods, Karyotype,Karyotype Analysis Method,Karyotypings,Method, Karyotype Analysis,Methods, Karyotype Analysis
D008297	Male		Males
D008871	Microvilli	Minute projections of cell membranes which greatly increase the surface area of the cell.	Brush Border,Striated Border,Border, Brush,Border, Striated,Borders, Brush,Borders, Striated,Brush Borders,Microvillus,Striated Borders
D008928	Mitochondria	Semiautonomous, self-reproducing organelles that occur in the cytoplasm of all cells of most, but not all, eukaryotes. Each mitochondrion is surrounded by a double limiting membrane. The inner membrane is highly invaginated, and its projections are called cristae. Mitochondria are the sites of the reactions of oxidative phosphorylation, which result in the formation of ATP. They contain distinctive RIBOSOMES, transfer RNAs (RNA, TRANSFER); AMINO ACYL T RNA SYNTHETASES; and elongation and termination factors. Mitochondria depend upon genes within the nucleus of the cells in which they reside for many essential messenger RNAs (RNA, MESSENGER). Mitochondria are believed to have arisen from aerobic bacteria that established a symbiotic relationship with primitive protoeukaryotes. (King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed)	Mitochondrial Contraction,Mitochondrion,Contraction, Mitochondrial,Contractions, Mitochondrial,Mitochondrial Contractions
D009006	Monosomy	The condition in which one chromosome of a pair is missing. In a normally diploid cell it is represented symbolically as 2N-1.	Monosomies
D010857	Pigment Epithelium of Eye	The layer of pigment-containing epithelial cells in the RETINA; the CILIARY BODY; and the IRIS in the eye.	Eye Pigment Epithelium
D010858	Pigmentation	Coloration or discoloration of a part by a pigment.	Pigmentations
D002460	Cell Line	Established cell cultures that have the potential to propagate indefinitely.	Cell Lines,Line, Cell,Lines, Cell
D002478	Cells, Cultured	Cells propagated in vitro in special media conducive to their growth. Cultured cells are used to study developmental, morphologic, metabolic, physiologic, and genetic processes, among others.	Cultured Cells,Cell, Cultured,Cultured Cell
D002872	Chromosome Deletion	Actual loss of portion of a chromosome.	Monosomy, Partial,Partial Monosomy,Deletion, Chromosome,Deletions, Chromosome,Monosomies, Partial,Partial Monosomies