[Similarities between cultured human fetal glia cells and cell types from gliomas; cell culture studies]

Authors carried out a comparative study of cell-cultures of human fetal brain tissue and gliomas of various histological structures. In 180-days long cultures of fetal brain tissue four types of cells could be distinguished: 1. large, polygonal cells, 2. small, round, immature glia-cells, 3. bipolar spongioblasts, 4. gliant astrocytes. These types of cells could not be identified with the cell types of adult human brain culture, but similar types of cells were found in cultures prepared of gliomas of different degree of malignancy. There is some evidence to suggest, that among these types of cells the most important are immature glial cells, since they seem to be multipotent and may play a part in the gliogenesis and in the formation of gliomas as well.