Caudal fin tissue culture of Persian sturgeon Acipenser persicus

Primary cell lines were established from the culture of explants of caudal fin of Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus. The margin of the caudal fin from a two year old specimen (23 cm in length, and 133 g in weight) was aseptically cut (2 cm), washed three times with PBS containing antibiotics and then minced into 1 mm explants and cultured in L-15 medium complemented with antibiotics and FBS (20% ) at 22 °C. After confluent monolayer formation on the bottom of the flask, the cells were washed with PBS containing antibiotics and dislodged by trypsin-EDTA solution (0.25%) and shaking the flask. After washing the cells with PBS containing the antibiotics, they were cultured in 5 ml of L-15 medium, FBS (20%), antibiotics at 22 °C (first subculture). After a confluent monolayer formation, a similar procedure was followed for the second subculture.The emerging cells from explants exhibited fibroblast-like and epithelial-like cells in primary culture but the fibroblast-like cells were seen to predominate after the first subculture. In the present study the establishment of cell lines from the original culture at two passages was investigated.