Blood, 1955, Vol. 10, No. 9, pp. 896-911.
© 1955 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
Long-Term Tissue Culture of Human Bone Marrow
I. Report of Isolation of a Strain of Cells Resembling Epithelial
Cells from Bone Marrow of a Patient with Carcinoma of the Lung
LAWRENCE BERMAN 1,
CYRIL S. STULBERG 1,
FRANK H. RUDDLE 1, and
NANCY CUNNINGHAM 1
1 Departments of Pathology, Wayne University College of Medicine and Detroit
Receiving Hospital, the Child Research Center of Michigan, and the Detroit Institute of
Cancer Research.
Using methods described, long-term tissue cultures of human bone marrow
pass through three typical growth phases : (1) a myeloid phase during which
myeloid cells can be recognized; (2) a round-cell phase during which histioid and
monocytoid cells predominate; and (3) a fibroblastic phase which can be maintained thereafter. The three phases are of variable onset and duration.
In a culture from a patient with carcinoma of the lung, isolated colonies of
polygonal cells appeared on the 51st day of continuous cultivation. These were
removed and subcultured. By means of trypsinization, the sheets of polygonal
cells were transferred and subcultured in bulk and in a manner making it possible
to obtain replicate cultures. The morphologic characteristics and growth behavior of the strain of cells (Detroit-6 strain) are similar to those observed for
HeLa cells. The pattern of growth of the Detroit-6 strain is that of epithelial
cells, presumably of metastatic origin from a carcinoma of the lung.
The susceptibilities of the Detroit-6 strain to infection with various viruses
(poliomyelitis, Coxsackie, herpes simplex, and influenza) are similar to those
observed in the HeLa strain of human malignant epithelial cells originating from
a carcinoma of the cervix.
The possible values of long-term tissue culture of human bone marrow have
been discussed.
Submitted on March 28, 1955
Accepted on April 23, 1955
