Development of Cell Cultures Derived from Lake Trout Liver and Kidney in a Hormone-Supplemented, Serum-Reduced Medium

Abstract

Primary cultures of liver cells and kidney cells of lake trout Salvelinus namaycush were initiated in a hormone-supplemented, serum-reduced medium in plastic dishes. Cells plated on fibronectin-coated plastic attached with high efficiency (87–93%), in contrast to cells cultured on uncoated or polymer-coated plastic (< 8–52%). Primary cultures were obtained from young lake trout by trypsin-EDTA dissociation at 10–15°C for 40 min; the primary cultures were maintained in a growth medium (either medium 199 or Leibovitz's L-15 medium) supplemented with 2–3% fetal bovine serum, epidermal growth factor, bovine serum albumin, cholera toxin, insulin, transferrin, and selenium. Lake trout liver and kidney cultures currently contain both epithelioid and fibroblastic cells. The cells, cultivated at 18–20°C from primary culture, have been subcultured 32 times over a period of 6 months.