Production of retrovirus and Epstein-Barr virus in cell lines from multiple sclerosis patients

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the tendency for establishing spontaneously formed B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy controls. We have previously established spontaneously formed B-lymphoblastoid cell lines from a patient with an MS-like disease and from another patient with MS who had a reactivated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Both LCLs were found by transmission electron microscopy (EM) to produce retrovirus-like particles (RVLP) and EBV particles. Reverse transcriptase (RT) assays were positive in purified viral material from both LCLs. To substantiate these findings we initiated an intensified culturing procedure and were able to establish LCLs from 5 of 21 consecutive MS patients and 1 of 13 consecutive healthy controls. All LCLs were found to produce both RVLP and EBV particles by EM. Whether the putative new retrovirus (es) and EBV have any causal relationship to MS is still not known, but the findings support this possibility.