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Heterotransplantation of a Human Breast Carcinoma Cell Line¹

Department of Cytological Biophysics, Institute for Medical Research, Camden, New Jersey 08103

A human breast tumor cell line (BT-20), promptly rejected upon direct transplantation into rats or hamsters, gained temporary acceptance after fusion with normal cells from the prospective host. Fusion was obtained with Sendai virus inactivated with ß-propiolactone, but mixing the two cell populations in equal number also gave positive results.

Nodules induced in rats or hamsters by inoculation of BT-20 cells fused or cocultivated with normal cells presented in histological sections, epithelial outgrowths recognizable as BT-20 cells. Mitotic figures demonstrated the viability of these cells. Inoculation of normal cells alone or fused together did not induce the formation of nodules. These results suggest that cell fusion or cocultivation might be used to test the neoplastic activity of a human cell by direct inoculation into experimental animals.

¹ This work was supported by USPHS Grants CA-08515, CA-08740, CA-11405 from the National Cancer Institute, by Grant-in-Aid M-43 from the State of New Jersey, and by Contract PH 43-68-1000 from NIH.

Received 3/20/72. Accepted 7/26/72.