Transformation of Human Leukocytes by Cocultivation with an Adult T Cell Leukemia Virus Producer Cell Line

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 217; no. 4561; pp. 737 - 739
• Main Authors: Yamamoto, Naoki, Okada, Morihisa, Koyanagi, Yoshio, Kannagi, Mari, Hinuma, Yorio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 20.08.1982; American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Antigens, Surface - immunology; Antigens, Viral - immunology; B lymphocytes; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; Cell Line; Cell lines; Cultured cells; Depolarization; Fetal Blood; Genes, Viral; HTLV viruses; Humans; Karyotyping; Leukemia research; Leukocytes; Leukocytes - physiology; Lymphocytes; Neurons; Retroviridae - genetics; T lymphocytes; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Transformation, Genetic; Transformed cell line; Viruses
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.6980467

The transmission of adult T cell leukemia virus, a human retrovirus, into fresh leukocytes from normal humans was examined. One of three virus-carrying cell lines, tested after being subjected to lethal x-irradiation, consistently transformed leukocytes from adult peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood. All the transformed cell lines expressed adult T cell leukemia virus--associated antigen, but transformed lines originating from adult and umbilical cord blood exhibited T cell and non-T, non-B cell surface natures, respectively. Efforts to transform human leukocytes with cell-free virus were unsuccessful.