Human T-lymphoblastoid cells selected for growth in serum-free medium provide new tools for study of HIV replication and cytopathogenicity.

Human T-lymphoblastoid cells H9, CEM and CEM-clone 5 were selected for growth in RPMI 1640 supplemented with transferrin 5 micrograms/ml, insulin 5 micrograms/ml and sodium selenite 5 ng/ml. After 40 days of adaptation to serum-free medium, these cells displayed growth, morphology, and expression of CD4 similar to serum-supplemented cultures. Infection of these cells with two strains of HIV-1 (LAV and NDK) and a strain of HIV-2 (ROD) was as efficient in serum-free as in serum-supplemented medium as demonstrated by reverse transcriptase activity in the culture supernatants of infected cells. Furthermore, HIV-induced cytopathogenicity was observed in serum-free cultures, demonstrating that both HIV infection and cytopathic effect did not require the presence of serum components. Electron microscopy showed that mature viral particles were produced from infected cells cultured in serum-free medium. Finally, the ability of monoclonal antibody OKT4 A to inhibit infection by HIV-1 LAV but not by HIV-1 NDK was the same with and without serum in the culture medium, demonstrating that both CD4-dependent and CD4-independent infections can occur in the total absence of serum. Human T-lymphoblastoid cells adapted for growth in serum-free medium provide therefore a complementary tool for the study of HIV infection and cytopathogenicity under defined conditions.