[Establishment of hepatitis C virus reproductive model of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells transformed by Epstein-Barr virus].
OBJECTIVE
For the present, one of the crucial questions to study pathogenic mechanism of hepatitis C and its drug therapy is to seek a suitable cell model which may support the replication of hepatitis C virus(HCV). In this article, we made effort on the study of this aspect.


METHODS
Using Epstein-Barr virus(EBV), we transformed the peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) isolated from a patient diagnosed as chronic hepatitis C. HCV RNA from the cultured cells and the supernatants were analysed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) at an intervals of one month.


RESULTS
HCV positive-strand RNA could be detected continually in the cultured cells for more than one year since the establishment of the transformed PBMC clone whereas the negative-strand RNA were also observed in the cultured cells. Interestingly, the HCV positive-strand RNA could be identified in supernatants intermittently.


CONCLUSIONS
HCV may exist in the cultured cell line for a longer period and reproduce in and secrete out of the cells. This will offer a new cell model for studying the molecular biology and immunology of HCV.
Cheng
J
J
Institute of Hepatology of People's Hospital, Beijing 100044.
Cheng
J
J
Tong
W
W
D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology*; D014779:Virus Replication