A newly established human gestational choriocarcinoma cell line and its characterization

The cell biological characteristics of a newly established human gestational choriocarcinoma cell line, HM, were examined and compared with four other gestational and two nongestational choriocarcinoma cell lines. Striking heterogeneity in the production and secretion of hCG and its subunits was observed among the cell lines. The HM cell line consisted mainly of cytotrophoblast-like cells, and the hCG and its subunit values in both the cells and culture fluid were extremely low. The syncytiotrophoblast-like multinucleated giant cells which were occasionally seen in other cell lines were scarce in the HM cell line in vitro. On the other hand, deviation of the LDH isozyme pattern to the heart-type (LDH1) was characteristic of the HM cells in contrast to the other cell lines in which LDH3 was dominant. The HM cell line represents useful material for investigating the cell biological heterogeneity of human choriocarcinomas.