HIG-82: an established cell line from rabbit periarticular soft tissue, which retains the "activatable" phenotype.

We have isolated a continuous cell line from soft tissue lining the knee joints of rabbits. Designated HIG-82, this line was produced by spontaneous establishment of an aging, late-passage culture of primary cells. Like unpassaged, primary cells, HIG-82 cells can be activated by a number of stimuli, including phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and the endocytosis of latex beads. Activated cells secrete collagenase, gelatinase, caseinase (stromelysin), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) into their culture medium. Pseudodiploid, HIG-82 cells combine a high plating efficiency with a doubling time of approximately 24 h. As primary tissue of this origin is difficult to obtain in large quantities and shows cellular heterogeneity, the HIG-82 cell line should facilitate research into the biology and biochemistry of the fibroblastic cells that line the diarthrodial joints of mammals. Such cells are likely to be important in the pathophysiology of various arthritides.