Establishment and characterization of a human histiocytic lymphoma cell line (U‐937)

TLDR

The authors characterized U‑937 by assessing morphology, growth, cytochemistry, surface markers, immunoglobulin, lysozyme, β2‑microglobulin, EBV genome, and karyotype to distinguish it from other lymphoblastoid lines. U‑937 was derived from a patient with generalized histiocytic lymphoma, displays morphology and biochemical features identical to the tumor, differs from typical lymphoblastoid lines, and is confirmed as a neoplastic histiocytic cell line by lysozyme production and esterase activity.

Abstract

A human hematopoietic cell line (U-937) with exceptional characteristics was derived from a patient with generalized histiocytic lymphoma. The morphology of the cell line was identical to that of the tumor cells in the pleural effusion from which the line was derived. Since Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) carrying diploid lymphoblastoid cell lines unrelated to the tumor population often become established in vitro from non-Burkitt lymphoma explants, several parameters were studied to discriminate the U-937 from such lines: morphology in vitro, growth characteristics, cytochemistry, surface receptor pattern, Ig production, lysozyme production, beta2-microglobulin production, presence of EBV genome and karyotype. In all these respects U-937 differed from prototype lymphoblastoid cell lines. The histiocytic origin of the cell line was shown by its capacity for lysozyme production and the strong esterase activity (naphtol AS-D acetate esterase inhibited by NaF) of the cells. It is therefore concluded that the U-937 is a neoplastic, histiocytic cell line.