I. Ghernati et al., Characterization of a canine long-term T cell line (DLC 01) established from a dog with Sezary syndrome and producing retroviral particles, LEUKEMIA, 13(8), 1999, pp. 1281-1290
The canine DLC 01 cell line derives from a lymph node of a dog with Sezary
syndrome. The DLC 01 cell phenotype is CD4(-), CD8(+), CD45(+), DQ(+), simi
lar to that of original cells after treatment with dimethylsulfoxide or pho
rbol myristate. Canine cutaneous T cell lymphoma are usually CD4(-), CD8(+)
in contrast to their human counterparts which are CD4(+), CD8(-). Therefor
e, the DLC 01 cell line appears to be a unique model to study the mechanism
of all surface molecule expression in vitro. Viral particles with retrovir
us type-C morphology were found in ultrathin sections of DLC 01 cell pellet
s. Retroviral particles are spontaneously produced after the 50th cell pass
age or after induction with 0.5% dimethylsulfoxide. This is the first descr
iption of a dog lymphoid cell line spontaneously growing and producing a re
trovirus. It was found to share several features in common with feline and
murine leukemia viruses.