ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW HUMAN MYELOMA CELL-LINE, KMS-18, HAVING T(4-14)(P16.3-Q32.3) DERIVED FROM A CASE PHENOTYPICALLY TRANSFORMED FROM IG A-LAMBDA TO BJP-LAMBDA, AND ASSOCIATED WITH HYPERAMMONEMIA

A new human myeloma cell line, KMS-18, was established from a 58-year- old male with multiple myeloma associated with hyperammonemia. The ori ginal leukemic cells and established KMS-18 cells possessed several of the same chromosomal abnormalities, including add(1)(q32), add(10) (q 24) and add(17)(p11). In addition, the KMS-18 cells showed novel t(4;1 4)(p16.3;q32.3) masked translocation which was determined by the FISH method. Moreover, we compared the ammonia production in culture medium of the KMS-18 cell line with that of non-myeloma hematological malign ant cell lines and a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. KMS-18 produc ed higher levels of ammonia in medium than the other cell lines examin ed. This new cell line may prove helpful in analyzing the role and bio logical mechanisms of the t(4;14)(p16.3;q32.3) translocation in myelom a and also in investigating hyperammonemia in cases with myeloma.