[Similarities between human fetal glia cells and glioma cell type in tissue cultures]

Comparative studies were carried out on cell cultures of human fetal brain tissue and of gliomas of different tissue structures. In the cultures of fetal brain tissue maintained for 180 days, four cell-types could be distinguished: 1 large polygonal cells showing epithelial type growth; 2 groups of small round cells; 3 bipolar spongioblasts; and 4 giant astrocytes. The monolayers consisting of large cells formed a nursing layer for the small round cells and could be considered neuroepithelial cells. The small round cells forming groups were regarded as immature gliacytes which created migrational forms by means of active motion. The bipolar spongioblasts were considered a variant of the immature gliacytes. The giant astrocytes displayed the lowest plasticity; their appearance was interpreted as a true differentation and not simply as a change in form of one of the cell types. The cells of the fetal brain tissue could not be identified with the cells of the adult human brain. Still, all the four cell types appeared in the cultures of gliomas with different textures and different degrees of malignity. It seems that with respect to gliogenesis, among the four described cell types the immature gliacytes are of the greatest importance.