Establishment and characterization of an Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-negative hairy cell line

Continuous cell lines have been established from spleen cells of patients with confirmed hairy cell leukemia (HCL). One cell line, HCL-Z1, lacks Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen (EBNA), grows attached to the substratum and retains typical features of hairy cells as revealed by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. HCL-Z1 differs morphologically from the three other EBNA-positive lymphoblastoid cell lines obtained (HCL-Z2, HCL-Z3, HCL-Z4) as well as from normal spleen cells or lymphocytes. The three lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from HCL patients show similar surface features as a line from a myeloma patient. Therefore, not all cell lines derived from HCL patients may be considered as representative of the patients leukemia cells.