RMZ: a new cell line from a human alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. In vitro expression of embryonic myosin.

The RMZ cell line was established from a bone marrow metastasis of a human alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Since the beginning of the in vitro culture, RMZ cells showed differentiation-related morphological heterogeneity: actively proliferating polygonal or spindle-shaped cells were observed along with a few multinucleated myotube-like structures and giant cells, frequently multinucleated. All these cell types were still present after over 40 passages. A set of clonal derivatives has been obtained from the second in vitro subculture. All the clones showed the same morphological heterogeneity of the parental cells, but differed from one another in the degree of differentiation. Multinucleated myotube-like structures were strongly stained by anti-desmin antibody; most mononuclear cells were weakly stained. About 80% of RMZ and cloned cells were scored as desmin-positive in cytocentrifuged preparations. The expression of embryonic myosin heavy chain, specifically recognized by the monoclonal antibody BF-G6, was found in RMZ cell line and was localised in the myotube-like structures. Only a few giant cells and rare mononucleated polygonal cells were stained. The average proportion of BF-G6 positive cells in cytocentrifuged preparations was of about 6% of the total RMZ cells. In the two RMZ clones studied, the expression of embryonic myosin was correlated to the proportion of myotube-like structures: a BF-G6 positivity of 35% was found in the most differentiated one.