Spontaneous immortalisation of ensheathing cells from adult rat olfactory nerve.

In this report, we describe the isolation of a cell line, Rolf B1.T, from cultures of adult rat olfactory nerve cells. Rolf B1.T cells have an antigenic phenotype which closely resembles that of olfactory ensheathing cells. In routine culture conditions, Rolf B1.T cells constitutively express glial fibrillary acidic protein, S1OO, the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75 NGF, laminin, tenascin, and the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM); a variable proportion of the cells also express cadherin, which is regulated by local culture conditions and is associated positively with cell proliferation status. We provide evidence that the association may be indirect and linked to a related parameter such as local cell density. Rolf B1.T cells arose from a population of less well-differentiated cells after a spontaneous immortalisation event. The cells retain many characteristics of normal cells, are dependent on serum growth factors for their proliferation, and fail to grow in semi-solid agar. Rolf B1.T cells support the regrowth of neurites from adult retinal ganglion cells in vitro in a heterologous co-culture system and will have potential value in investigations into the mechanisms of glial support for axonal regeneration from adult mammalian central neurons.