Properties of cell lines established from transitional cell cancers of the human urinary tract.

Characterization studies have been carried out on eight cell lines (253J, 192B, 639V, 647V, 486P, 575A,743E, and 751G) established from transitional cell cancers of the human urinary tract. Although subtle morphological differences exist among individual lines, each has an epithelial morphology and exhibits multilayering. The doubling times for the cells range from 20 to 56 hr, and at least a 1-to-3 split can be achieved when they are subcultured every 4th day. Karyotypic analysis revealed a hyperdiploid stemline for each cell line, and presence of a Y chromosome was confirmed by Q banding in five of the lines. The tumorigenic nature of the cell lines was demonstrated by their production of tumors in hamsters and confirmed by colony formation in agar. The transitional cell cancer lines were shown to be free of Mycoplasma, and their glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase mobility patterns and their Karyotypes prove that they are not HeLa cells.