IN-VITRO IMMORTALIZATION OF OLD-WORLD MONKEY T-LYMPHOCYTES WITH HERPESVIRUS-SAIMIRI - ITS SUSCEPTIBILITY TO INFECTION WITH SIMIAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUSES

Peripheral blood T lymphocytes of Old World monkeys, rhesus and cynomo lgus monkey (Macaca mulatta and Macaca fascicularis, respectively), we re successfully immortalized by infection with Herpesvirus Saimiri sub type C. The T cell lines were stably cultured without addition of exog enous IL-2. The STP-C488 protein, the oncogene product of subtype C st rain 488-77, was detected in these cells by Western blotting. They als o expressed some markers of activated or matured T cell phenotypes suc h as CD2+, monkey Pan-T+, CD25+, CD29+, and MHC-II DR+. Interestingly, not only CD4+CD8- or CD4-CD8+ single positive subpopulations but also CD4+CD8+ double positive ones were present in all of them. Furthermor e, they were productively infected with both SIVmac and SIVagm. The le vels of the viral replication were comparable to those in human T cell lines. Thus, Herpes Virus Saimiri-immortalized Old World monkey T lym phocytes will he suitable for further studies of immune system in Old World monkeys and cell-virus interactions in SIV infection. (C) 1996 A cademic Press, Inc.