NOVEL INTERLEUKIN-2 DEPENDENT T-CELL LINE DERIVED FROM ADULT T-CELL LEUKEMIA NOT ASSOCIATED WITH HUMAN T-CELL LEUKEMIA-VIRUS TYPE-I

A novel interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent T-cell line, WHN2, was establis hed from a patient with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) not associated wit h human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I). Neither the original le ukemic cells nor the WHN2 cells showed proviral integration in their c ellular DNAs by Southern blot analysis. The surface phenotype showed t hat both the original leukemic cells and the WHN2 cells had a common p henotype of ATL, i.e., positive for CD2, CD4, human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) and CD25, but negative for CD8, a characteristic of helper /inducer T-cells. Most of the chromosomal abnormalities of the origina l leukemic cells were maintained in the WHN2 cell line. Furthermore, S outhern blot analysis of the T-cell receptor beta-chain gene rearrange ment revealed that the original leukemic cells and WHN2 cell line had identical patterns, suggesting that the WHN2 cell line was truly deriv ed from the original leukemic cells. Dose-dependent growth on IL-2 was demonstrated, and at the maximal stimulation, the number of cells dou bled within three days. This IL-2-dependent growth was inhibited by th e simultaneous existence of anti-IL-2 receptor alpha and beta chain an tibodies. These results indicate that the character of the WHN2 cell l ine is similar to that of the cell lines derived from ATL associated w ith HTLV-I. Thus, the HTLV-I-negative ATL cell line, WHN2, should be u seful in the comparative study of the pathogenesis of ATL associated w ith or without HTLV-I.