A newly established cell line of rabbit lens epithelium.

Rabbit lens epithelial cells have been cultured continuously for more than 24 months (200 generations) in monolayers. Their morphology resembled cobblestones when confluent and was spindle-shaped during growth. The doubling time was 40 hours. The cells were capable of colony formation and their plating efficiency was about 6%. They had immunoreactivity to antiserum to the crystalline-rich supernatant of rabbit lens homogenate. Therefore, it was concluded that they were a permanent cell line and they were named TOTL-86 cells.