A soluble-factor(s) secreted by a human skin cancer cell line supports clonal growth of adult T-cell leukemia cells.

Leukemic cells from four out of eight patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) were successfully grown by cocultivation with HSC-I cells, a human skin cancer cell line, in the presence of interleukin-2. Three of these four cultures of growing cells showed rearrangement of the T-cell receptor beta-chain gene like the original leukemic cells in vivo, and also showed conservation of the patterns of HTLV-I integration of the original leukemic cells in vivo. Cell-to-cell contact between HSC-I cells and leukemic cells was not necessary for growth of the leukemic cells. The results indicate that some soluble growth factor secreted by HSC-I cells and interleukin-2 are required for the in vitro growth of leukemic cells from some patients with adult T-cell leukemia.