Studies on GFAP expression in human glioma cell lines

GFAP expression in human glioma cell lines was studied using a cloned cDNA probe to human GFAP. GFAP mRNA was detected in 5 out of the 10 human glioma cell lines examined. Different levels of GFAP mRNA was found to be expressed in 4 clonal cell lines derived from the same tumor. The difference in the amount of GFAP mRNA seemed to be correlated with the difference in the levels of GFAP present in these cell lines. Southern blot analysis of these cell lines revealed the presence of the GFAP gene in all of these cell lines regardless of GFAP expression. These results demonstrate the presence of glioma clonal cell lines with different levels of GFAP expression, regulated primarily at the transcriptional level