The establishment of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-positive (SP-50B) and Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-negative (SP-53) cell lines with t(11;14)(q13;q32) chromosome abnormality from an intermediate lymphocytic lymphoma.

Two lymphoma cell lines, SP-50B and SP-53, were established from peripheral blood of a 58-year-old woman with leukemic conversion of intermediate lymphocytic lymphoma. These cell lines grew in suspension with or without forming clumps of cells. SP-50B was morphologically similar to the common Epstein-Barr (EB) virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines and was positive for EB virus nuclear antigen (EBNA), whereas SP-53 closely resembled the patient's lymphoma cells and was negative for EBNA. Both cell lines expressed the same phenotypic markers as original lymphoma cells (CpIg+, SmIg+, OKIa1+, Leu12+) and possessed t(11;14)(q13;q32) chromosome translocation. These results indicate that although morphologically different, SP-50B and SP-53 were both derived from patient's lymphoma cells. The long-term cultivation of EBNA-positive and EBNA-negative B-cell lymphoma lines from a single donor has not been previously reported. These cell lines would provide useful tools for studying the oncogenic role of EB virus and bcl-1 oncogene that is located on chromosome 11q13.