Growth of AKR T cell leukemia lyphoblasts in medium containing interleukin 2 (IL-2)

Summary Long-term cloned mouse leukemic T cell lines were established in vitro using interleukin-2 (IL-2) conditioned media. The cell lines were tested for retention of both antigenic expression and tumorigenicity, as well as for growth characteriztics. Several important findings resulted from these studies. A reliable method was developed for consistent success in the culturing and cloning of leukemic T cell lines. Cultured cells from IL-2-dependent lines were found to retain their original histocompatibility and differentiation antigen characteristics for up to 2 yr. Mortality patterns, comparing long-term cloned leukemic T cell lines with fresh AKR leukemia cells, showed that the cloned cells had greater tumorigenicity. An especially interesting finding was that cell lines established both from different mice and from a single organ of an individual mouse were heterogeneous with respect, to antigenic makeup, cell growth kinetics, and tumorigenicity. Finally, because of their dependence on IL-2, the cloned tumor cell lines provided excellent index cells to quatify IL-2 activity. Supported by Grants CA-20484 and CA-26245, from the National Cancer Institute, Department of Health and Human Services and grants from the Briggs and Stratton Corporation Foundation, the Evan and Marion Helfaer Foundation, the Kearney and Trecker Foundation, the MACC Fund, the Miller Foundatione and the Stackner Family Foundation. This study represents partial fulfillment for a Ph.D. in Biology from the Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.