A KI-1-POSITIVE CELL-LINE EXPRESSING EPSTEIN-BARR-VIRUS ANTIGENS, ESTABLISHED FROM A CHILD WITH KI-1-POSITIVE LYMPHOMA

We report here the establishment of a CD30 (Ki-1) antigen-positive cel l line 'Ki-JK' from a child with anaplastic large cell lymphoma. We ch aracterized this cell line and show that: (i) Ki-JK cells do not grow in soft agar but infrequently produce a tumor or suppressed growth whe n injected into nude mice; (ii) Ki-JK cells expressed Epstein-Barr vir us (EBV) antigens, EBV-associated nuclear antigen-2 and latent membran e protein; (iii) Ki-JK cells are labelled by in situ hybridization usi ng an RNA probe derived from the BamHI W fragment of EBV, and (iv) pol ymerase chain reaction demonstrates the presence of an EBV BamHI W seq uence in DNA of lymphoma and Ki-JK cells. These results suggest an eti ological role for EBV in the development of some cases of Ki-1-positiv e lymphomas.