An Established Cell Line from the Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

Abstract

A monolayer culture of fibroblast-like cells was initiated from a trypsin digest of heart, liver, kidney, and spleen tissue of young Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). This culture has been subcultured 81 times over a period of 21 months and appears to be an established cell line, which we have designated AS. Cells of the AS line multiply over a temperature range of 4–28 C with an optimum growth temperature of 20 C. Temperatures in excess of 29 C cause rapid cell death. The AS cells remain viable for periods up to 6 months at 4 C. An absolute plating efficiency of 30% has been determined for AS cells at 20 C. Analysis of the cell cycle of AS cells reveals a generation time (Gt) of 19.5 hr. The duration of the DNA synthetic period (S) is 10.5 hr, while the G1 and G2 periods are 1.1 and 7.1 hr, respectively. The duration of mitosis (M) has been calculated to be 0.9 hr with a mitotic index (M.I.) for the culture of 3.3%. Preliminary studies indicate a modal chromosome number of 54. The AS cell line is susceptible to infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) virus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) virus and the myxovirus of bluegills.