High Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) susceptibility of both lymphoblastoid and lymphoma cell lines derived from a Japanese patient with EBV genome-positive Burkitt's lymphoma.

A Lymphoma cell line from the tumor tissue was established spontaneously from a Japanese patient with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome-positive Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). Additionally lymphoblastoid cell lines from peripheral blood of this patient were established either spontaneously or by in vitro infection with B95-8 EBV. Lymphoma cells showed monoclonal surface immunoglobulins (kappa and gamma) with specific chromosomal translocations, t (8; 14). In contrast, lymphoblastoid cells expressed polyclonal surface immunoglobulins without specific chromosomal abnormalities. Lymphoma cells made colonies in soft agarose approximately 10 times more than those of the lymphoblastoid cells. When each cell line was cultured at lower temperature of 33 degrees C, treated with 12-O-tetradecanoyl- phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and superinfected with P3HR-1 EBV, all cell lines expressed 5 to 10 times higher levels of EBV early antigens (EA) and viral capsid antigen (VCA) than lymphoblastoid cell lines from healthy controls. Furthermore, lymphoblastoid cell lines obtained from peripheral blood of this patient during the period of remission also exhibited high EA and VCA inducibility and superinfectibility. These findings suggested that the lymphoid cells in this patient were genetically highly susceptible to EBV infection, and this evidence possibly linked to the lymphomagenesis of EBV genome-positive BL.