Transformation of hamster spleen lymphocytes by human T-cell leukemia virus type I.
Co-cultivation of spleen cells of Syrian golden hamsters with lethally irradiated MT-2 cells harboring human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) resulted in the establishment of lymphoid cell lines, HCT-1 and HCT-2, which exhibited the normal karyotype of golden hamsters. Cells of both the HCT-1 and HCT-2 lines lacked surface immunoglobulins and reacted with a monoclonal antibody (MAb) specific for hamster T cells. Some were positive for OKIa1. None of them expressed HTLV structural antigens (p19 and p24) or virus particles, but they contained HTLV-I proviral DNA monoclonally. By immunochemical analysis of the labelled cell antigens, sera from adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) patients reacted with the two polypeptides, p37 and p40, which may not be viral structural proteins and still remain to be characterized. HCT-1 and HCT-2 cells were transplantable into newborn hamsters, pre-treated with anti-hamster thymocyte serum and non-treated, respectively, producing diffuse malignant lymphoma. These findings indicated that HTLV-I not only immortalized but also transformed hamster T cells non-productively.
D000818:Animals; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D017977:Deltaretrovirus; D007621:Karyotyping; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral