Persistent infection of a lymphoma cell line by herpes simplex virus

✍ Scribed by Kao, Yuan S.; Sundin, Daniel R.; Gebhardt, Bryan M.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 229 KB
• Volume: 62
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0361-8609
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8652(199910)62:2<93::aid-ajh5>3.0.co;2-7

✦ Synopsis

The peripheral blood cells from a patient with a B-cell lymphoma were established in long-term tissue culture. Two years after establishment of the cells in culture they were infected with herpes simplex virus type 2 and the productivity and duration of viral persistence investigated. One week after infection the lymphoblastoid cells were productively infected and have remained so for a period of over 3 years. Expression of a viral glycoprotein antigen was evaluated by using a fluorescein-labeled monoclonal antiherpes simplex virus type 2 antibody and revealed a spectrum of staining reactions grading from a lightly stippled to very intense pattern. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of the infected cells revealed the presence of the herpes simplex virus type 2 DNA polymerase gene in the infected cells that was absent from the uninfected lymphoblastoid cells. These results taken together with the long-term growth characteristics of both the infected and uninfected lymphoblastoid cells suggest that this cell line may be a good model system for studying viral infection, viral replication, viral latency, and clinical application for the isolation of human herpes virus. Am.