Development of a 3T3-like line from an embryo culture of an inbred strain of Syrian golden hamster.

An embryo culture of an inbred strain of Syrian hamster developed into a permanent cell line under the "3T3" 3 X 10-5 cells/60-mm dish. The resulting cell line had properties very similar to those of the mouse 3T3 series and was named HAMS 3T3. The cell showed density-dependent inhibition of division with a saturation density of 1.0 to 1.2 x 10-6 cells/60-mm dish or 4.5 to 5.5 x 10-4 cells/sq cm. Addition of fresh medium containing 5 or 10% fetal calf serum to a confluent culture induced DNA synthesis in 18 hr with subsequent cell division. Cells were hyperdiploid with a mode of 45 chromosomes (80% of the cells). When cells at the 60th passage were injected into the skin or cheek pouch of an inbred hamster of the same strain as that from which they were derived, they produced a benign tumor that regressed after 3 weeks. Morphological transformation was obtained by infection with the Moloney strain of murine sarcoma virus.