HUMAN CEREBRAL CORTICAL CELL-LINES FROM PATIENTS WITH UNILATERAL MEGALENCEPHALY AND RASMUSSENS ENCEPHALITIS

Continuous cerebral cortical cell lines have been developed from two p atients, an 11-month-old with unilateral megalencephaly and a seven-ye ar-old with Rasmussen's encephalitis, designated HCN-1 and HCN-2, resp ectively. The two cell lines stain for neuronal markers such as neurof ilament and neuron-specific enolase but not for non-neuronal markers s uch as glial fibrillary acidic protein and S-100 protein. In the prese nce of appropriate growth factors, the cells extend long, branched pro cesses resembling neurons. Differentiation of HCN-1 cells can be induc ed with nerve growth factor, dibutyryl cyclic AMP and isobutylmethylxa nthine, while for HCN-2 cells nerve growth factor, isobutylmethylxanth ine and the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecaoylphorbol-13-acetate are most effective. Immunohistochemical staining of both differentiated cell l ines reveals intense staining for GABA, glutamate, somatostatin, chole cystokinin-8 and methionine enkephalin. Two human cortical neuronal ce ll lines have been developed which represent neuronal precursors. Thes e cell lines propagate in culture and are capable of differentiating u pon the addition of a variety of growth factors and chemical agents. T hese cell lines should prove to be useful models for the study of in v itro neuronal processes.