Characterization of an established cell line (SH-3) derived from pleural effusion of patient with breast cancer.

Spontaneous emergence of fast-growing cells in prolonged culture of pleural effusion cells obtained from a patient with breast cancer has led to the establishment of a cell line designated as SH-3. By morphological criteria, as revealed by light and electron microscopy, SH-3 cells are epithelial and resumble the poorly differentiated cells of a series of established human tumor cell lines. Their karyotype is hypotetraploid and different from that of HeLa cells. Isoenzyme analysis has shown the presence in the cells of a bone-type alkaline phosphatase and of the fast (A) band of G6PD. The line is free of mycoplasma.