Studies of a human mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Studies of a human mesothelioma, by A.M. Behbehani, W.J. Hunter, A.L. Chapman, et al (Human Pathology, 1982).

The study

• Authors: A.M. Behbehani, W.J. Hunter, A.L. Chapman, F. Lin
• Journal: Human Pathology
• Published: 1982;13(9):862-6
• Type of article: Case report
• Cited by: 27 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Abdominal fluid from a patient with mesothelioma was cultured in vitro, and a cell line designated JMN was established. This cell line has undergone more than 100 passages. Electron microscopic, karyotypic, and heterotransplantation studies as well as the capability of collagen synthesis by this cell line indicated that it is of malignant mesothelial origin. The cell line has proved very useful for the isolation of human pathogenic viruses.

In plain English

This was a laboratory study of cells from one patient. The authors cultured abdominal fluid from a 57-year-old white man with mesothelioma at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and the cells grew into a continuous cell line they named JMN. At the time of writing the line was in its 104th passage, meaning it had been regrown more than 100 times. About 85 per cent of the cells had 48 or more chromosomes, with a typical count of 51 or 52, but no specific chromosome marker was found. Small amounts of collagen were detected outside the cells in the JMN cultures. When the cells were injected under the skin of two nude mice, one mouse grew a tumor that reached about 8 mm within 21 days. The cells were highly susceptible to a range of human viruses. The authors concluded that the line was of malignant mesothelial origin and useful for isolating disease-causing viruses. The article does not report asbestos or any other exposure for the patient.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: laboratory study establishing a cell line from one patient's abdominal fluid, with cell culture, electron microscopy, chromosome, collagen, virus-susceptibility and mouse transplantation tests
• Who was studied: abdominal fluid from one patient, a 57-year-old white man with abdominal mesothelioma, cultured at the University of Kansas Medical Center; cells were also injected into two male nude mice
• Main results:
  • The JMN cell line was serially passaged over three years and was in its 104th passage
  • About 85 per cent of the JMN cells had 48 or more chromosomes, with a modal number of 51 or 52
  • Collagen was detected in the JMN cultures from all three passages tested (35, 38 and 40); the amount was slight and extracellular (outside the cells)
  • One of the two injected nude mice developed a tumor of about 2 mm after seven days, which grew to about 8 mm within 21 days
  • JMN cells were highly susceptible to a range of RNA and DNA viruses, with cell damage usually appearing within one to two days; coxsackievirus A type 3 did not grow, and cytomegalovirus grew without its typical effects
  • No virus particles were seen in the cells under electron microscopy
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the JMN cell line is of malignant mesothelial origin and has been very useful for isolating human pathogenic viruses
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors noted that in culture both mesothelial and mesothelioma cells change into fibroblast-like cells that cannot be told apart by origin

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Mesothelioma, Collagen.

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