Isolation of a Type C RNA Virus from an Established Human Histiocytic Lymphoma Cell Line

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 74; no. 6; pp. 2564 - 2568
• Main Authors: Kaplan, Henry S., Goodenow, Robert S., Epstein, Alan L., Gartner, Suzanne, Declève, Alain, Rosenthal, Peter N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01-06-1977; National Acad Sciences
• Subjects: Cell culture techniques; Cell Line; Cell lines; Cultured cells; DNA; Embryonic cells; Enzymes; Humans; Lymphoma - enzymology; Lymphoma - microbiology; Microscopy, Electron; Microsomes - enzymology; Microsomes - ultrastructure; Retroviridae - enzymology; Retroviridae - isolation & purification; Retroviridae - ultrastructure; RNA viruses; RNA Viruses - enzymology; RNA Viruses - isolation & purification; RNA Viruses - ultrastructure; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase - isolation & purification; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase - metabolism; Sarcoma; Tumor cell line; Viruses
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.74.6.2564

A type C RNA virus has been detected in the culture fluids of the SU-DHL-1 human histiocytic lymphoma cell line previously established in this laboratory. In electron micrographs, the virus closely resembled other typical mammalian type C RNA tumor viruses in size and morphology. Viral RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity has been demonstrated in particles (densities of 1.15 and 1.22 g/ml) in the microsomal cytoplasmic fraction and in pellets of culture fluids. The enzyme is partially inhibited by antibodies to the RNA-dependent DNA polymerases of simian sarcoma virus and RD-114 virus but not by antibody to the polymerase of murine leukemia virus, suggesting some degree of relatedness to type C viruses of subhuman primate origin. Typical syncytial microplaques were induced when SU-DHL-1 cells were cocultivated with rat XC cells. Although no focus formation was noted in similarly cocultivated mouse UC1-B cell cultures, the numbers of foci induced in rat embryo fibroblasts by murine sarcoma virus were significantly increased by coinfection with the virus from SU-DHL-1 cell culture fluids. No other evidence of infectivity, inducibility, or capacity for helper rescue of defective murine sarcoma virus genomes has been detected to date in cocultivation studies with a spectrum of fibroblastic and other nonlymphoid indicator cell lines of human and other species of origin.