Establishment of a cell line from long-term primary embryonic house fly cell cultures.

Thirty days after primary cultures were made of dispersed embryonic cells of the housefly, Musca domestica, large numbers of dividing undifferentiated cells were present. The cells were subcultured. After three passages, the doubling time had stabilized so that subcultures could be made at 7 to 10 day intervals. When subcultured, the cells attached and grew on the surface of the flasks and formed dense cell sheets and clumps. The derived cell line has been maintained for over 2 years, and the nutritional requirements have been studied. Cytogenic studies of the line at passages 14, 27, and 48 showed that the line has a chromosome count of 11 (2n = 12) and the missing chromosome is probably the Y chromosome. Thus we believe that the line is fundamentally diploid.