Fish cell culture: two newly developed cell lines from Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) and guppy (Poecilia reticulata)

Two new cell cultures from fish, SH cells from cardiac tissue of a mature Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrhynchus) and GFT cells from fully formed unborn embryos of a female guppy (Poecilia reticulata), were established through a series of subcultivations. The SH cells (sturgeon heart) are fibroblastlike and the GFT cells (guppy fetal tissue) are epithelioid in morphology. The SH cell line was started in 1977 and the GFT line in 1979, and both are past their 30th passage. Maximum growth, after 15 days, was observed at 18 °C for both cell lines. They require 3–5% extra salt for optimum growth. Generally, GFT cells have higher relative plating efficiency and a shorter generation time than SH cells. Sensitivity of both SH and GFT cells to viral infection was tested using an amphibian virus (LT-1V) and a fish virus (IPNV). Cytopathic changes, of the cells experimentally infected by these viruses were evaluated. A low sensitivity of SH cells and GFT cells was found in response to IPNV and LT-1V, respectively. Electron microscopy revealed that both viruses appeared to have different sites of replication in the infected cell lines. Metaphase plates of GFT cells indicated prominent metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes. The chromosomes of SH cells consisted of both micro- and macro-chromosomes. At least three isozymes (lactic acid dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, and phosphohexose isomerase) were found to be suitable for distinguishing among GFT, SH, and lumpfish cell lines.