Herpesvirus ateles and herpesvirus saimiri transform marmoset T cells into continuously proliferating cell lines that can mediate natural killer cell-like cytotoxicity.

Herpesvirus ateles (HVA) and herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) have the capacity to transform cotton-topped marmoset T lymphocytes into continuously proliferating cell lines that retain some functions associated with cell-mediated immunity. In the present paper, we demonstrate that HVA/HVS-transformed T cell lines are cytotoxic in a short-term 51Cr release assay and that this killing resembles killing by marmoset natural killer (NK) cells. The relationship between NK cells and HVA/HVS-transformed killer cell lines is discussed in view of present knowledge of the origin and function of the NK system. It is suggested that the described cytotoxic cell lines may be useful for further defining cellular cytotoxicity with regard to cell surface recognition, regulatory events, and lytic mechanisms.