Amylase-producing plasmacytoma cell lines, AD3 and FR4, with der(14)t(8;14) and dic(8)t(1;8) established from ascites.

We established two human plasma cell lines, FR4 and AD3, from ascitic fluid in a patient with IgA k plasmacytoma (PC). Aberrant amylase production was found in this patient. Both AD3 and FR4 were free of Epstein-Barr virus, and both produced Ig A k in vitro. They produced amylase of the salivary type in vitro. This was confirmed by the demonstration of amylase mRNA comigrating with salivary gland mRNA. These cell lines commonly had unusual chromosomal abnormalities der(14)t(8;14) and dic(8)t(1;8). AD3 had additional chromosomal abnormalities compared with FR4. This suggests that AD3 is a subline of FR4. The oncogene c-myc is rearranged in most case of Burkitt's lymphoma with t(8;14). However, neither rearrangement nor amplification of the c-myc allele was detected in our PC lines. These lines expressed c-myc of 2.4 kb. There were no structural changes in the amylase genes of AD3 and FR4 detectable with Southern blotting analysis. As these lines were authentic PC lines, they would be useful for the future study of the relationship between the mechanism of oncogenesis and the rare tumor aberration, amylase production.