PRIMARY CULTURE OF HUMAN LEPTOMENINGEAL CELLS IN SERUM-FREE MEDIUM

Human leptomeningeal (LM) cells were grown in serum-free medium supple mented with insulin, transferrin and bovine serum albumin. The culture d cells maintained the polygonal morphology characteristic of leptomen ingeal cells. Electronmicroscopic and immunofluorescence examinations revealed interdigitation of cell membranes, invagination of cytoplasm into the nucleus, specialized intercellular junctions and the presence of cytokeratin. These characteristics are consistent with previous re ports characterizing LM cells. This serum-free culture system may faci litate the in vitro study of the leptomeninges.