Characterization of a newly established nonproducer lymphoma cell line for feline leukemia virus

A feline lymphoblastoid cell line (KO-1) was established from a 5-year-old neutered female cat with naturally occurring thymic lymphoma. KO-1 cells had a rearrangement of T-cell receptor β-chain gene and a germ-line configuration of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene, however, they were devoid of T-cell-specific surface phenotype. Cytogenetically, KO-1 cells showed a hyperploidy (2n = 41) due to the trisomy of B2, F2 and X chromosomes. Although KO-1 cells were shown to be clonally expanded cells integrated with feline leukemia virus (FeLV) proviruses and expressed its structural proteins in their cytoplasm, they did not produce virus particles as shown by transmission electron microscopy and the absence of the viral protein and reverse transcriptase activity in the culture supernatant. The present study showed that the KO-1 cell line established here was a feline T-cell lymphoma cell line having a unique characteristic as an FeLV nonproducer.