Surface marker characteristics and Epstein-Barr virus studies of two established North American Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines.

Tumor cell lines have been established in continuous culture from two North American Burkitt's lymphomas. The SU-AmB-1 line, derived from a patient with low serum antibody titers to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), was devoid of EBV genomes by the reaction for EBV-associated nuclear antigen (EBNA), could not be induced to express EBV antigens, and was highly refractory to EBV superinfection. Conversely, the SU-AmB-2 cell line, derived from a patient with "African type" serology, yielded a positive EBNA reaction and was readily inducible and superinfectable. Although both cell lines possessed B (bone-marrow-derived) cell characteristics, they had different surface marker patterns. It is postulated that two different classes of undifferentiated B cell lymphomas exist, one of which is positive for the presence of EBV genomes and occurs endemically in Africa and New Guinea and sporadically in other parts of the world, the other of which is EBV-negative and occurs sporadically throughout the world, including the endemic areas.