SIMIAN-VIRUS 40 TRANSFORMED HUMAN OVARIAN SURFACE EPITHELIAL-CELLS ESCAPE NORMAL GROWTH CONTROLS BUT RETAIN MORPHOGENETIC RESPONSES TO EXTRACELLULAR-MATRIX

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to improve the availability of experimental models for the study of human ovarian surface epithelium. STUDY DESIGN: Low-passage cultures of human ovarian surface epithelium were transfected with SV40 large-T antigen and the resulting lines were characterized. RESULTS: Three immortalized lines were obtained. They formed epithelial monolayers resembling ovarian surface epithelium in serum-free medium, expressed large-T antigen and overexpressed p53, produced laminin, and were CA 125 negative. Two lines expressed keratin. On plastic surfaces, the growth rate and growth potential of immortalized ovarian surface epithelium were increased over the growth of ovarian surface epithelium, but on extracellular matrices their growth and morphologic features resembled ovarian surface epithelium. The lines were not tumorigenic in Nu/Nu mice. CONCLUSION: The immortalized ovarian surface epithelium lines resemble cells early in neoplastic progression and should be useful to study ovarian carcinogenesis.