An ultrastructural study of cultured human meningioma cells

Ultrastructural alterations in human meningioma cells growth in vitro are reported. In early passages the cells retain some of the characteristic features of the original tumors. These include interdigitations associated with intercellular junctional devices (e.g., desmosomes, gap junctions). However, with repeated subculture these features tend to be less frequent. Typical whorl formations are observed only in primary cultures. The number of cytoplasmic filaments, lipid inclusions and other dense bodies increases with time in culture. Cytoplasmic invaginations into nuclei and the appearance of very large cells become more frequent in repeatedly transferred cultures.