Neoplastic transformation of hamster astrocytes in vitro by simian virus 40 and polyoma virus

Astrocytes in cultures of brain cells from fetal or newborn hamsters undergo neoplastic transformation after infection with simian virus 40 or polyoma virus. Subcutaneous or intracerebral inoculation of the transformed brain cells into newborn or adult hamsters produces progressively enlarging astrocytomas at the sites of injection. Astrocytomas produced by polyomatransformed cell lines are histologically better differentiated, but grow more rapidly and metastasize more frequently, than astrocytomas produced by cell lines transformed by simian virus 40. These observations make available in vitro models of virus-induced oncogenesis in astrocytes and provide simple techniques for obtaining astrocytoma cell lines suitable for screening studies of chemical agents effective against astrocytomas.