[Characteristics of a culture of embryonal human lung cells spontaneously contaminated with mouse cells].

The characteristics of human embryo lung culture spontaneously contaminated with mouse cells (HELCCM) are presented. Changes in the cytological and karyological characteristics of the cells were observed as compared with those of the initial human embryo lung (HEL) cell strain. The culture acquired the resistance to adenovirus type 7; at the same time RNA metabolism in HELCCM culture culture chronically infected with adenovirus practically did not differ from that of the control. Electron microscopic examination of the culture revealed virions of oncornavirus types A and C as well as minimal forms of oncornaviruses which morphologically were close to murine oncornaviruses. The results indicate that in the process of passages the initial diploid cells of HEL were eliminated by mouse cells. Therefore at present, the HELCCM cell line is considered to be a mouse line.