Establishment of spontaneously outgrowing lymphoblastoid cell lines with Cyclosporin A

To establish spontaneously outgrowing EBV (Epstein-Barr virus) transformed lymphoid cell lines from healthy EBV-seropositive adults different culture conditions were investigated. The effect of T-cell depletion was compared with that of adding Cyclosporin A (CSA) to unseparated mononuclear blood cells, either at the onset of cultivation or after 3 weeks. The highest frequency of spontaneous outgrowth of EBV-transformed cells was obtained in unseparated cultures when the addition of CSA was delayed. The presence of unimpaired T cells at the onset of the culture period appeared to have a favourable effect on the spontaneous outgrowth of EBV-carrying lymphoblastoid cell lines.