ESTABLISHMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CELL-LINES, MEMS AND MEFS, DERIVED FROM SPONTANEOUS RAT MESOTHELIOMAS

New cell lines, designated MeMS and MeFS, were established from the ep ithelial type of mesotheliomas occurring spontaneously in aged male an d female Fischer 344 rats, respectively. Morphologically, MeMS and MeF S expressed the epithelial phenotype. Coexpression of keratin and vime ntin in both cell lines was confirmed by the inmunocytochemistry, one- dimensional gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting for intermediate fi lament proteins. Hyaluronic acid synthesis of both MeMS and MeFS was d emonstrated by the analysis using high-performance liquid chromatograp hy. MeMS and MeFS seem to be useful models for studying the biological nature of rat mesotheliomas.