Unregulated growth of murine leukemic cells and suppression of normal granulocyte growth in diffusion chamber cultures.

The patterns of proliferation of C1498 mouse acute leukemic cells have been studied using the diffusion chamber technique of cell culture. These malignant cells grow to the same maximal cell concentration irrespective of initial cell input. Leukemic cells proliferate equally well with or without the stimulus of prior host irradiation. When cells cultured for several days are diluted to the original input concentration and recultured, they rapidly proliferate back to maximal cell number. All of these findings are in sharp contrast to the behavior of granulocytes from normal mouse marrow grown in the same culture system. Co-culutre of equal numbers of normal marrow cells and leukemic cells results in virtually complete inhibition of normal marrow cells and leukemic cells results in virtually complete inhibition of normal granulocyte growth. These experiments provide a means of studying malignant growth of leukemic cells, as compared to the controlled growth and differentiation of normal granulocytes, and mechanisms by which leukemic cells suppress normal granulocyte development.