ABSTRACT
We have previously established a mouse malignant T-lymphoma CS-21 (CMS) cell line from a lymphoma that developed spontaneously in a BALB/c mouse. CS-21 lymphoma cells produce a high incidence of lymph node metastasis following subcutaneous (s.c.) injection [7]. CS-21 lymphoma cells grow continuously in vitro when they are cocultured under the cell-cell attached conditions with CA-12 stromal cells prepared from lymph nodes. CS-21 lymphoma cells, however, are unable to proliferate by themselves and undergo apoptosis when separated from CA-12 stromal cells [8]. As a result of our study on the growth properties of CS-21 lymphoma cells, we found that CS-21 lymphoma cells required for cell growth at least two types of molecule provided by CA-12 stromal cells-cell adhesion molecules and soluble factors. Soluble factors by themselves, however, could not prevent CS-21 lymphoma cells from undergoing apoptotic cell death. Thus, we have previously postulated that the cell-adhesion molecules, not the soluble factors, play a crucial role in CS-21 cell survival [8].
