K. Kigasawa et al., MORPHOLOGIC AND CHROMOSOMAL STUDY OF A HUMAN RETINAL-PIGMENT EPITHELIAL-CELL LINE, Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology, 38(1), 1994, pp. 10-15
A spontaneously established cell line of human retinal pigment epithel
ium (RPE) was investigated morphologically and studied by chromosomal
analysis. Even after the 100th passage, cultured cells maintained epit
helioid morphology, and had numerous microvilli and membrane-bound sma
ll dense bodies which looked like lysosomes. Abundant rough-surfaced e
ndoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were observed in the cytoplasm,
suggesting that these cells were metabolically active. The absence of
pigmentation was noted from the 6th passage. In chromosomal analysis,
a small number of 2nd passage cells showed karyotypic changes. At the
12th passage, a single cell line (44, 6-monosomy and Y-missing) was es
tablished. By the 100th passage, further karyotypic changes were noted
(low tetraploid). The 6-monosomy might have played an important role
in the establishment of this cell line. These results indicated that t
his cell line underwent some changes in chromosomal count and pigmenta
tion but retained many original morphological characteristics. After f
urther evaluation of its characteristics, this cell line, K-1034, coul
d be useful experimental material in the study of the function of the
human RPE.