Human cell lines containing Epstein-Barr virus but distinct from the common B cell lymphoblastoid lines.

A group of very similar cell lines was established from peripheral blood or bone marrow of 12 patients with a variety of disorders. The cells in these cell lines were uniform and round in shape. They grew as single-cell suspensions or as aggregates of small numbers of cells in stationary culture. The most striking characteristic of these lines was the lack of cells with surface immunoglobulin or with demonstrable immunoglobulin synthesis. This lack of immunoglobulin synthesis and their special growth characteristics distinguished them from the lymphoblastoid B cell lines previously described. The cells of these unusual cell lines had strong Fc receptors and C3 receptors and expressed Ia antigens. They did not form rosettes with sheep erythrocytes and did not have detectable levels of terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase. They did not secrete lysozyme and failed to stain for peroxidase. The presence of the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen in the cells indicated the presence of Epstein-Barr viral genome. The possibility that these cells represent some type of precursor cell in the B cell lineage is discussed, but the exact cellular origin remains to be ascertained.