HIGH EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS (EBV) SUSCEPTIBILITY OF BOTH LYMPHOBLASTOID AND LYMPHOMA CELL-LINES DERIVED FROM A JAPANESE PATIENT WITH EBV GENOME-POSITIVE BURKITTS-LYMPHOMA

A Lymphoma cell line from the tumor tissue mas established spotaneousl y from a Japanese patient with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome-positiv e Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). Additionally lymphoblastoid cell lines from peripheral blood of this patient mere established either spontaneousl y or by in vitro infection with B95-8 EBV. Lymphoma cells showed monoc lonal surface immunoglobulins (kappa and gamma) with specific chromoso mal translocations, t (8; 14). In contrast, lymphoblastoid cells expre ssed polyclonal surface immunoglobulins without specific chromosomal a bnormalities. Lymphoma cells made colonies in soft agarose approximate ly 10 times more than those of the lymphoblastoid cells. When each cel l line was cultured at lower temperature of 33 degrees C, treated with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and superinfected with P 3HR-1 EBV, all cell lines expressed 5 to 10 times higher levels of EBV early antigens (EA) and viral capsid antigen (VCA) than lymphoblastoi d cell lines from healthy controls. Furthermore, lymphoblastoid cell l ines obtained from peripheral blood of this patient during the period of remission also exhibited high EA and VCA inducibility and superinfe ctibility. These findings suggested that the lymphoid cells in this pa tient were genetically highly susceptible to EBV infection, and this e vidence possibly linked to the lymphomagenesis of EBV genome-positive BL.