A human T cell line with an abnormal trisomy 2 karyotype established by coculture of peripheral lymphocytes with an HTLV‐II‐infected simian leukocyte cell line

Abstract

A new human T cell line with a chromosomal abnormality (47, XY, +2), designated AS-IIA, was established by coculturing peripheral blood leukocytes of a healthy adult male with a lethally irradiated human T lymphotropic virus type II (HTLV-11)-infected simian leukocyte cell line (Si-IIA). A polymerase chain reaction method showed that this interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent cell line possessed the HTLV-II provirus genome; the cells also reacted with HTLV-ll-positive human sera, anti-HTLV-1/11 p24, and anti-HTLV-ll gp46 antibodies. AS-IIA cells expressed the suppressor/cytotoxic T cell markers CD3+, CD4-, CD8+, CD25+, and HLA-DR+, with later conversion to CD8-. These cells showed better proliferation than other human HTLV-ll-infected cell lines with normal karyotypes, but were not transplantable into severe combined immunodeficiency mice. Virus production from AS-IIA was confirmed not only by electron microscopic examination, which revealed mature and immature type C virus particles, but also by the capacity of the line to immortalize human T cells. These results suggest that HTLV-II shows broad tropism for T cells including CD4' or CD8+, and that not only Si-IIA, but also AS-IIA, are good sources of HTLV-II. The authors of the present study believe that AS-IIA may be a useful human T cell line for the investigation of HTLV-II in comparison with HTLV-I.

An animal model for Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)‐associated lymphomagenesis in the human: Malignant lymphoma induction of rabbits by EBV‐related herpesvirus from cynomolgus

“… 20 Si‐IIA cells immortalize human T cells. 21,22 During a study on the prevention of HTLV‐II infection using Si‐IIA, we found by chance that malignant lymphoma develops in Japanese white rabbits when they were inoculated intravenously and that these rabbit lymphomas had no integration of HTLV‐II genome. 23 Later a type of oncogenic virus, EBV‐related herpesvirus in Si‐IIA cells (Si‐IIA‐EBV) was identified, and malignant lymphomas induced by Si‐IIA in Japanese white rabbits as well as New Zealand white rabbits contained EBV‐related DNA.…”