Rat lymphoid cell lines producing human T cell leukemia virus-i
Tateno, M.
Hokkaido Journal of Medical Science 62(1): 74-81
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0367-6102 PMID: 2880789 Document Number: 303683
Cocultivation of spleen cells, lymph node cells, and thymocytes of female Wistar-King-Aptekman rats with short-term cultured male adult T cell leukemia (ATL) cells in the presence of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BudR) resulted in the establishment of rat lymphoid cell lines, TARS-1, TARL-2, and TART-1. Cytogenic analysis of the three cell lines showed a female rat karyotype with 42 chromosomes. The surface phenotypes of TARS-1 and TART-1 were those of rat T cells. TARL-2 was only positive for rat Ia and leukocyte common antigens and brain associated T antigen. The cell lines continuously produced a type C retrovirus, human T cell leukemia virus-I (HTLV-I) and expressed ATL-associated antigens. By using monoclonal antibodies for rat IL-2 receptors, FACS analysis demonstrated that three rat T cell lines unequivocally expressed rat IL-2 receptor. TARS-1 and TART-1 but not TARL-2 were transplantable into newborn syngeneic rats and nude mice. By injecting MMC-treated TARS-1 into newborn syngeneic rats, HTLV-I carrier rats were obtained which showed gradual increase of anti-ATLA antibody titer by aging. No evidence of leukemia nor malignant lymphoma were observed in those carrier rats. Adult rats immunized with these rat cell lines produced antibodies specific for HTLV-I. The biochemical analysis of the antigen that reacted with rat sera revealed that they are the HTLV-I specific polypeptides, p28, p24, p19 and p15.