Establishment and characterization of unique cell lines derived from pyothorax‐associated lymphoma which develops in long‐standing pyothorax and is strongly associated with Epstein‐Barr virus infection

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2003.tb01367.x
• Publication Date: 2005-08-19T10:16:34Z
• Authors: Tetsuya Takakuwa; Wen‐Juan Luo; Maria Francisca Ham; Masao Mizuki; Keiji Iuchi; Katsuyuki Aozasa
• Keywords: Aged, 80 and over; Gene Rearrangement; Male; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Lymphoma; Biopsy; Cell Culture Techniques; Flow Cytometry; 3. Good health; Blotting, Southern; Genes, T-Cell Receptor; 03 medical and health sciences; Phenotype; 0302 clinical medicine; Cell Line, Tumor; Humans; Female; Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; Empyema, Pleural; Aged; Microsatellite Repeats

Malignant lymphoma frequently develops in the pleural cavity of patients with over 20 years' history of pyothorax. The term pyothorax‐associated lymphoma (PAL) has been proposed for this type of tumor. We established four novel lymphoma cell lines (OPL‐3, ‐4, ‐5, and ‐7) from four patients with PAL. Characteristics of the four cell lines are as follows: B‐cell nature with defective expression of B‐cell and T‐cell surface antigens, monoclonal pattern of Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) infection in lymphoma cells (thus indicating an etiological role of EBV for lymphomagenesis), complicated chromosomal abnormalities with numerous structural and numerical abnormalities, and occasional but distinct genome instability. These abnormalities in cell character might be caused by the specific circumstances of PAL lymphomagenesis, i.e., chronic inflammation. Thus, PAL cell lines could be useful in analysis of molecular mechanisms leading to malignancy in chronic inflammation.