Establishment of a clonal strain of hepatoma cells which secrete albumin.

A clonal strain of epithelial cells (designated MH(1)C(1)) has been established from the transplantable Morris hepatoma No. 7795. The cells have maintained distinctive morphology throughout more than 20 subcultures (split 1:5) at 2- to 4-week intervals in supplemented Ham's F 10 medium. They contain many highly refractile, round, cytoplasmic bodies which stain bright red with Oil Red O. The population doubling time was 2 wk when the clonal strain was first established. It has gradually decreased to 1 wk. The cells synthesize rat serum albumin and secrete it into the culture medium as determined immunologically by microcomplement fixation and double diffusion. Albumin secretion (3-6 microg albumin/mg cell nitrogen/24 hr) occurs throughout the logarithmic phase of cell proliferation and has not diminished during serial propagation since the strain was initiated 15 months ago.