Properties of RBL-5 leukemia cells cultivated in vitro

RBL-5 leukemia induced by Rauscher murine leukemia virus (R-MuLV) carried in the ascites form in C57BL/6 mice was cultivated in vitro and passaged continuously. Both low- and high-passage cells released the same level of murine leukemia virus, as detected by the XC plaque assay. Membrane antigens of the cultivated cells were also detected by the indirect immunofluorescence assay. Both low- and high-passage cells showed the same activity of antigen detectable by anti-R-MuLV serum, whereas only the high-passage cells reacted strongly against a syngeneic antiserum to RBL-5 crude membrane (CM). The oncogenicity of the low and high passages of the cultivated cells was compared with the ascites cells. The results indicated that the oncogenic potential of the cells gradually decreased during in vitro passage. The accumulation or retention of CM antigen on the membrane of the high-passage cells suggested that their decreased oncogenic potential might be due to increased immunogenicity and/or immunosensitivity. This strengthened the hypothesis that the cellular transplantation antigens are not identical to type C viral antigens, since the R-MuLV antigens were not altered during passage in vitro.