Production of lymphoid tumors in hamsters by direct implantation of normal human peripheral and umbilical cord leukocytes

Abstract

Peripheral leukocytes from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-seropositive or seronegative normal adults, or human umbilical cord leukocytes infected or not infected with EBV, were directly transplanted into 50 newborn hamsters treated with anti-lymphocyte serum. Lymphoid tumors were produced after a latent period of 10-25 days in 39 animals: 8 of 14 recipients of seropositive donor leukocytes, 2 of 2 recipients of seronegative donor leukocytes, 13 of 15 recipients of EBV-infected cord leukocytes, and 16 of 19 recipients of non-infected cord leukocytes. EBV-determined nuclear antigen-positive human lymphoblastoid cell lines were established in vitro from tumors produced with seropositive donor leukocytes or EBV-infected cord leukocytes but not from tumors produced with seronegative donor leukocytes or non-infected cord leukocytes. The results indicate that EBV is not a prerequisite for in vivo production of tumors but necessary for in vitro establishment of lymphoblastoid cell lines from such tumors.