Observations on cell lines derived from a patient with Hodgkin's disease

Permanent cell lines have been established from a spleen nodule and lymph node of a male Hodgkin's disease (HD) patient whose father has the same disease. Th in vitro growth pattern morphological and cytogenetic characteristics of these lines maintained continuously for over 2 years are described. The cultures contain a population of mixed cell types that grow in suspension. Between 5 and 10% of the cells have surface immunoglobulins M and D. B-cell alloantigens are also detectable. While the cultures are predominantly lymphoid, some of the large cells, by light and electron microscopy, resemble the Reed-Sternberg and Hodgkin's cells of the original biopsies. Although the cells maintain the human diploid karyotype, they are heterotransplantable in nude mice. After 14 months of culture, chromosome rearrangement and losses, commonly seen in leukemic bone marrow, occurred. Close to 100% of the cells are Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen positive, but they lack Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) capsid antigen and EBV-induced early antigen. Nucleic acid hybridization tests indicated that there were no more than two EBV genome equivalents per cell. Tests with HD sera free of anti-EBV were negative. Electron microscope examination of the cells revealed the presence of intracellular as well as extracellular rare pleomorphic particles ranging from 400 to 1200 A. The nature of these particles, which increased in number after the cultures were treated with halogenated pyrimidines but not with dimethyl sulfoxide, remains questionable. The cultures derived from the mouse-passaged HD cells, however, had reverse transcriptase activity and readily identifiable type C particles which were probably of murine origin. These cultures have some unique features that make them useful in studying the perplexing pathological entity of HD.