COMPLEXITY OF EXPRESSION OF THE INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTS OF 6 NEW HUMANOVARIAN-CARCINOMA CELL-LINES - NEW EXPRESSION OF CYTOKERATIN-20

Six permanent human ovarian carcinoma cell lines (OVISE, OVTOKO, OVMAN A and OVSAYO from clear cell adenocarcinoma, and OVSAHO and OVKATE fro m serous papillary adenocarcinoma) were established from solid tumours . The cell lines have been in culture for 5-8 years, the passage numbe r varying from 62 to 246. Immunohistochemical analysis has shown that five of the six cell lines express at least six cytokeratin (CK) polyp eptides. OVISE and OVSAYO expressed CKs 6, 7, 8, 18, 19 and 15 and/or 16. OVTOKO was positive for CKs 7, 8, 18, 19 and 15 and/or 16. OVSAHO expressed CKs 6, 7, 8, 14, 18, 19 and 15 and/or 16. OVMANA expressed C Ks 6, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20 and 15 and/or 16. OVKATE expressed CKs 6, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 15 and/or 16. The expression of CK7, additiona l expression of vimentin, and clinical and histopathological findings enabled us to confirm that six cell lines had been established from pr imary ovarian cancers. Two of the six cell lines were positive for CK2 0, although CK20 was not expressed in the original tumours. The hetero transplanted tumours produced by CK20-positive cells also expressed CK 20. This is the first report of ovarian carcinoma cell lines that expr ess CK20 irrespective of their histological type. CK20 has been found in all colon carcinoma cell lines, but only in the mucinous type of ov arian tumours. These new ovarian carcinoma cell lines will therefore p rovide a relevant experimental system for elucidating the regulatory c ontrol mechanisms of intermediate filament expression.