IN-VITRO CULTURE OF MELANOMACROPHAGES FROM THE SPLEEN AND LIVER OF TURTLES - COMMENTS ON MELANOMACROPHAGE MORPHOLOGY

Melanomacrophages were extracted and cultured from the spleen and live r of three turtle species representing three divergent families, the C helydridae, Emydidae, and Trionychidae. Homogeneous cultures were obta ined by repeatedly forcing minced, frequently washed tissue through a sterile screen and separating the resulting cells by centrifugation. T he cells were surprisingly resistant to lysis and were maintained in c ulture for over 12 weeks where culture characteristics, appearance, an d longevity from these two organs were similar. They attached to the T flask substrate as individual cells and aggregates and spread out 14 days after being placed in media. Ridges and ruffles at the distal end s of pseudopodia and the cell surface along with a zone of clearing at test to the cells' phagocytic nature. A few melanomacrophages from bot h organs underwent mitosis 14 days after treatment with granulocyte ma crophage colony-stimulating factor but it is possible that other facto rs contributed to stimulation of cell division.