Two distinct cell lines derived from a human osteosarcoma

Two cell lines were established from a human osteosarcoma transplanted into athymic nude mice after the second (O9N2) and fifth passages (HuO9). Both cell lines expressed 1,25(OH)₂D₃-responsive alkaline phosphatase activity and produced tumors in the dorsum of nude mice that were histologically similar to the original tumor. However, the morphological and growth characteristics of the two cell lines differed. O9N2 cells were large and polygonal, whereas HuO9 cells showed spindle shapes. HuO9 cells had a higher growth rate and saturation density than O9N2 cells. The c-myc oncogene was amplified 4-to 8-fold in HuO9 cells but not in O9N2 cells. Both cell lines had a homozygous internal deletion, lacking the 7.4-kb HindIII fragment in the Rb gene. The results suggest the importance of the c-myc oncogene in the growth and morphological control of human osteosarcoma cells and of the Rb gene in the pathogenesis of the tumor.