Seven Murine Cell Lines with Properties of Macrophages

摘要

Seven phagocytic murine cell lines established from cultures of thymic lymphomas closely resembled authentic mouse peritoneal macrophages in their morphology and phagocytic properties. They secreted lysozyme and contained large quantities of nonspecific esterase, beta-glucuronidase, acid phosphatase, and lysozyme. They lacked the surface antigens of thymic lymphocytes (Thy-1,2 antigen) or bursa-equivalent lymphocytes (immunoglobulin), but they expressed receptors for immunoglobulin and complement. Complement-mediated rosettes did not occur in the absence of divalent cations. Efficient phagocytosis of sheep erythrocytes required opsonization with rabbit IgG antibodies. Ia8 antigen was recent on all four H2D cell lines. Two of the cell lines can be readily cloned; we used these to demonstrate that variation in receptor expression and morphology was not due to the presence of multiple cell types. None of the cell lines was tumorigenic in nude mice or normal syngeneic mice. These macrophage-like cell lines provide well-characterized models which can be used to examine certain aspects of macrophage function under defined conditions without lymphoid cell admixture. (Author)