Morphologic characteristics, proliferation, and tumor marker expression of two human ovarian carcinoma cell lines in three-dimensional culture.

Two cell lines derived from human serous ovarian adenocarcinoma (KOC-1S, KOC-2S) were cultured three-dimensionally in type I collagen gel, and their morphology, growth kinetics, and tumor marker expression were compared with those of cells grown on plastic dishes. KOC-1S cells were established from a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma and they formed three-dimensional round colonies and tubular structures in collagen gel culture. KOC-2S cells were established from a poorly differentiated serous adenocarcinoma and they proliferated diffusely in a solid pattern to form irregularly shaped colonies in collagen gel culture. The doubling times of both cell lines were longer in collagen gel culture, but the ratio of their doubling times was virtually the same in both culture systems. KOC-1S cells produced CA125 and TPA, while KOC-2S cells only produced TPA. For both cell lines, tumor marker secretion per 10(5) cells was greater in collagen gel that on plastic dishes. These results suggest that human ovarian carcinoma cell lines retain characteristics similar to those in vivo with regard to histologic type, degree of differentiation, and growth kinetics when they are cultured in collagen gel.