Infection of feline lymphoid cells with feline leukemia virus in culture.
An in-vitro system for infection of cat T lymphocytes with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) was developed. For establishment of this system, FeLV was inoculated in vitro into concanavalin-A stimulated primary lymphoid cells and long-term cultured T cells grown with interleukin-2 (IL-2) from various feline lympho-hematopoietic organs. During serial cultivation with IL-2, FeLV group-specific antigen (GSA) was detected 5-6 weeks after infection in the primary cultures, and 1 week after infection in the long-term cultures of T cells. The percentage of FeLV-GSA-positive cells gradually increased with passages and reached more than 80% in several cultures of lymphoid cells, that became persistently infected and produced FeLV. These FeLV-infected lymphoid cells expressed T-cell markers, but showed no obvious differences in growth or cytological characteristics from FeLV-free feline lymphoid cells during the observation period of 60 weeks.
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002415:Cats; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005256:Leukemia Virus, Feline / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000382:microbiology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000382:microbiology*; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism; D008345:Manganese / Q000378:metabolism; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D008345:Manganese; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D008274:Magnesium