T-cell lines established from human T-lymphocytic neoplasias by direct response to T-cell growth factor.

Long-term growth of lymphoblastoid T cells from tissue samples from six of six patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and six of six patients with acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been achieved by using partially purified mitogen-free human T-cell growth factor (pp-TCGF). One cell line, CTCL-2, is now independent of added growth factor; the others continue to show absolute dependency on its presence. All lines have been in continuous culture for at least 4 months and some for > 1 year. They are erythrocyte-rosette positive and are negative for Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen. Most of the lines are negative for Fc and complement receptors and for surface immunoglobulin except that CTCL-1 and CTCL-2 have some cells positive for these cell surface markers. Results of histochemical studies on these cell lines are similar to the known patterns for fresh cells from their disease of origin. Cell line CTCL-3 has an abnormal karyotype, but no detectable chromosomal abnormalities were found in the other lines, consistent with the karyologic features of their clinical sources. Because T cells from normal donors do not respond to pp-TCGF unless the cells are first "activated" by a lectin mitogen such as phytohemagglutinin or an antigen, the direct response to pp-TCGF of T cells from patients with T-cell neoplasias suggests that the cell lines represent a transformed neoplastic cell population. Although some of the cell lines may be normal T cells activated by the malignant cells, the morphologic and histochemical properties of the cell lines, the abnormal karyotype of CTCL-3, and the independent growth of CTCL-2 support the conclusion that most of these cell lines are of malignant origin.