Abstract
Summary
Cell lines were established from trypsin-dispersed or minced and explanted tissues of whole embryo or adult tail tissues of the leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularis. Embryo cells grew more rapidly at early passage levels, but an adult cell line exhibited a growth rate similar to that of embryonic cells (mean cell population doubling time = ca. 3.5 days) after adaptation to in vitro growth for 12 passages (14 wk). Embryo-origin cells were predominantly epithelial-like, whereas adult tail-origin cell lines were fibroblast-like.
Adult- and embryo-origin cell lines could not be distinguished on the basis of temperature optimum (29-31°), medium pH requirements (pH 6.9-7.7), karyotypic changes (all passage levels tested [to number 25] were euploid), or virus susceptibility. Adult and embryonic leopard gecko cells supported cytopathic infection by vaccinia, herpes simplex, frog polyhedral, Newcastle disease, Sindbis and vesicular stomatitis viruses. Single step growth curves of Sindbis virus were identical in adult and embryonic Eublepharis cells incubated at 33° but differed from curves determined in other reptilian and mammalian cell types. Both adult and embryonic cells supported abortive rabies virus infection.
SV40 caused transformation at a similar rate of adult and embryonic cells incubated at 30°. Transformed cells exhibited 100% T antigen expression, morphologic and karyotypic alterations, and increased cell saturation density, absolute plating efficiency, and efficiency of colony formation in soft agarose. Tumor-specific transplantation antigen induction was not evident. Adult gecko tail-origin fibroblasts transformed by SV40 in vitro have not caused tumors to date when reinoculated into the allogenic host animal. Gecko cell cultures infected with polyoma virus at 30° exhibited ≤ 1% T antigen expression that persisted for 25 cell passages, but did not lead to transformation.
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