Transmission of Mouse Neuroblastoma by a Cell-free Extract

Abstract

A MOUSE tumour line, C1300, has been in serial transplantation since 1940 at the Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine. This tumour arose spontaneously from the region of the spinal cord in the body cavity of an albino mouse and was diagnosed tentatively as neuroblastoma; but until recently this could not be confirmed. Klebe et al. showed that C1300 tumour cells in vitro differentiate into neurone-like structures¹. Similar results have been reported by others^2,3. One of the identifying characteristics of cells derived from the sympathetic nervous system is the presence of the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase. This communication reports the presence of tyrosine hydroxylase in the C1300 tumour, confirming the diagnosis of neuroblastoma. We also report that cell-free extract (CFE) of neuroblastoma tumour induces a similar neoplasm in the dermis, mesentery, spinal cord and sympathetic chain of mice after subcutaneous injections.