Establishment of a cell line from kidney of seabass, Lates calcarifer (Bloch)

Primary cell culture from caudal fin and kidney of seabass (Lates calcarifer Bloch) using tissue explant method were cultured in three different medias with various salt concentrations. Only seabass kidney (SK) cells grew well in Leibovitze's-15 medium containing 8 g/l of NaCl supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum at an optimum temperature of 25 oC. Over a period of 24 months, SK cells were subcultured over than 75 passages and exhibited epithelial-like cells. The chromosome number of SK cells was 42. The cells were found to be free from bacterial, fungal and mycoplasma contamination. Seabass cells can be kept at -80 oC and/or in liquid nitrogen (-196 oC) for at least 24 months with a survival rate of 83.20 and 74.50 %, respectively. Nine fish viruses were tested for their infectivity and this SK cells were susceptible to sand goby virus (SGV), chub reovirus (CRV), snake-head rhabdovirus (SHRV), red seabream iridovirus (RSIV), seabass iridovirus (SIV) and grouper iridovirus-2 (GIV-2).