Establishment and characterization of a cell line from ictalurid catfish

The catfish industry is integral to the economy of the southern United States contributing >70% of the total U. S. finfish production. Intensive catfish production systems are more vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks resulting in significant economic losses. Viruses are a major concern especially in the hatchery and nursery phases of catfish rearing. These infectious agents require host cell machineries to replicate. The ability to propagate fish viruses in vitro using cell cultures is imperative in advancing virus research and facilitating disease management strategies. Several viruses show host- or even tissue-specificity. Scarcity of host-specific fish cell lines forces researchers to rely on general cell lines that might not be conducive for the replication of some viruses, thus hindering their isolation, identification, and characterization. The ictalurid cell line (channel catfish ovary [CCO-ATCC (R) CRL-2772]) previously available from cell repository (ATCC) has recently been reported as cross-contaminated by brown bullhead (BB) cells. Lack of host-specific cell cultures and contamination issues necessitated initiation of cell cultures from the fin tissues of hybrid catfish (female channel catfish x male blue catfish). A combination approach involving tissue explantation and enzymatic digestion methods were used to develop catfish fin cell cultures. These cultures were passaged over 100 times and transitioned into an established cell line. The hybrid catfish fin (HCF) cell line was characterized, growth conditions optimized, species of origin molecularly authenticated, and the susceptibility to fish viruses evaluated. This catfish cell line could serve as an efficient tool for virus studies, antiviral agent screening, and vaccine development benefitting catfish aquaculture.