Type-C virus-like particles in a human B-cell lymphoma cell line.

Type-C virus-like particles (VLPs) were found in an Epstein-Barr (EB) virus-infected human B-cell lymphoma cell line, SP-50B, that was established from a patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The cell line continuously produces a small number of type-C VLPs, 150-200 nm in diameter, over 1 year. SP-50B cells were negative for HTLV-I and HTLV-II antigens and did not contain the HTLV-I genome. In addition, two EB virus nuclear antigen (EBNA)-positive B-cell lines, SP-54-Cord and SP-57-CLL, were established from human cord blood and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), respectively, by coculture with lethally irradiated SP-50B cells. Type-C VLPs with the same morphology were also found in both cell lines.