Lymphoproliferative Diseases of Fowl: Characterization of Transplantable G-B1 Marek's Disease Tumor Cells in Culture

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A transplantable Marek''s disease tumor, derived and maintained through in vivo passage in syngeneic G-B1 chickens, was established in cell culture and characterized. The cells (GBT cells) grew in suspension and appeared morphologically similar to other Marek''s lymphoblastoid lines except for prominent nucleoli in GBT cells. The number of chromosomes increased during in vitro cultivation from near triploid to subtetraploid. Chromosome 3 was abnormally short. The GBT cells retained surface B1 histocompatibility antigen of the original tumor and Marek''s disease tumor-specific surface antigen (MATSA); however, infectious Marek''s disease virus was not detected by immunofluorescence, EM, inoculation into susceptible birds or assay on susceptible cells in culture. Inoculation of as few as 100 cultured cells into syngeneic G-B1 chickens resulted in tumor formation at the inoculation site, with eventual death of the recipients.