Establishment and characterization of a nontumorigenic cell line derived from a human hepatocellular adenoma expressing hepatocyte-specific markers.

In the present study the establishment and characterization of a nontumorigenic liver epithelial cell line (HACL-1) derived from a human hepatocellular adenoma is described. The HACL-1 cells have a finite life span (i.e., they proliferate for a period of 2 months and then senesce), show cell-cell contact inhibition, do not grow in soft agar, are not tumorigenic when injected in nude mice, and possess a normal diploid karyotype. The cultured cells resemble hepatocytes, but exhibit some features of dedifferentiation. At the ultrastructural level the cells are endowed with round or oval nuclei, abundant cytoplasmic organelles, and varying amounts of glycogen. The rough endoplasmic reticulum is…