Productive, persistent infection of human colorectal cell lines with human immunodeficiency virus.

Thirteen adherent human non-lymphocyte cell lines were tested for their susceptibility to infection by human immunodeficiency virus. Productive infection could be demonstrated in three of five colorectal carcinoma cell lines examined; the other eight human non-lymphocyte cell lines were uninfectible. A susceptible colon carcinoma cell line (HT29), as well as normal colonic mucosa, was shown to contain a 3.0-kilobase species of poly(A)+ CD4 RNA, whereas uninfectible colon carcinoma and rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines synthesized no detectable T4 RNA. A persistently infected colon carcinoma cell line was established that continued to produce progeny human immunodeficiency virus for more than 10 weeks postinfection.