Progenitor cell type - (Sep/01/2006 )

Hi everybody,
I have a novel cell line from a crustacean. The cell is very very small in size and doesn't resemble any of the nkown hemocytes or other cells in the aniimal. I am wondering if it could be a progenitor cel type. They are very agressive in multiplication, subcultured >60 times in one year, grow as clumps in culture, grow on soft agar. Since this species is not well-studied at the molecular level, looking for known urface markers is not an option.

Can some one give me ideas as to how to proceed from here. well. there are no cell culture "experts" or any one with some cell culture experience in my lab. PLease... I really need it!!!!

Thanks in advance.

Here is a thought,

If you want to know if the cell line is a progenitor type cells the crudes experiment would be to mark some of your "novel cells" in culture with somekind of marker gene... B galactosidase, GFP, RFP etc...

Once marked you put some of those marked transgenic cells into an early embryo of your crustacean. Let the embryo develop some.. (How far would depend on how easy is the Does this species grow big? can you make tissue slide? Or picture whole embryo imagery) then you stain/image the embryo and see if the marked cells have differentiated into any kind of tissue

Yet.. I can't help but think that the cell line you have is a cancer cell line derived from your crustacean. Anyway the above experiment would tell the two apart quite quickly. If you get normal tissue developing from marker cells then it is a progenitor cell line. If not... well if it the growth is uncontrolable and invassive, I would think that hints at metastatic cancer cells. If it isn't and just forms a lump well that become alittle more difficult... karyotype analysis may need doing.

And speaking of Karyotype analysis, has that been done on your novel cell line? If the chromosomes look jumbled well the conclusion is obvious.

Best of luck.