Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)-positive Burkitt's lymphoma: establishment of a novel cell line infected with HHV-6.
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) DNA has been detected in several human lymphoproliferative disorders. We report a case of HHV-6-infected Burkitt's lymphoma, from which a cell line, designated Katata, has been established. Katata cells had an immature B-cell phenotype with an L3 morphology and carried a t(8;14)(q24;q32) chromosomal abnormality. The HHV-6 DNA sequences were detected in both the patient's tumor cells and Katata cell line by polymerase chain reaction using three sets of primers that target different regions of HHV-6 DNA. The presence of HHV-6 DNA in Katata cells was also shown by Southern blot hybridization with the BamHI fragment of HHV-6. It is likely that the virus is in a latent state, since (1) virion-associated protein was not expressed in Katata cells, (2) transcriptional level of the immediate-early gene was very low, and (3) no viral particles were observed by electron microscopy. Katata cells were highly tumorigenic in nude mice and the tumor cells also contained HHV-6 DNA. We have successfully obtained several clonal lines by allowing the cells to form colonies in soft agarose and by the limiting dilution method. HHV-6 DNA was detectable in all 13 clones analyzed, suggesting that virtually all Katata cells are infected with HHV-6. This is the first report of a case of HHV-6+ Burkitt's lymphoma in the absence of Epstein-Barr virus. Furthermore, there has been no report of lymphoma cell lines that are persistently and nonproductively infected with HHV-6. The Katata Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, therefore, would provide a useful tool for studies of the mechanisms of HHV-6 latency and reactivation.
Bandobashi
K
K
Department of Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
Daibata
M
M
Kamioka
M
M
Tanaka
Y
Y
Kubonishi
I
I
Taguchi
H
H
Ohtsuki
Y
Y
Miyoshi
I
I
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008875:Middle Aged; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000821:virology; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000821:virology*; D017735:Virus Latency
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004279:DNA, Viral