Establishment of an ATLL cell line (YG-PLL) dependent on IL-2 and IL-4, which are replaced by OX40-ligand(+) HK with poly-L-histidine and dermatan sulfate

We established an IL-2 and IL-4 (IL2/4) - dependent adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) cell line (YG-PLL) by adding poly-L-lysine (PLL) to the culture medium. YG-PLL originates from lymphoma cells and contains a defective HTLV-I proviral genome. Although YG-PLL cannot survive without IL-2/4, the follicular dendritic cell (FDC)-like cell line HK expressing OX40-ligand gene (OX40L(+)HK) inhibited their death in the presence of soluble neutral polymers. After the prevention of cell death, YG-PLL proliferated on OX40L(+)HK without IL2/4 in the presence of two kinds of positively or negatively charged polymers. In particular, dermatan sulfate and poly-L-histidine supported growth for more than 4 months. Therefore, the original lymphoma cells proliferated transiently in the presence of IL2/4, and their growth arrest was inhibited by the addition of PLL. Furthermore, YG-PLL lost IL2/4 dependency by the following 3-step procedure: preculture with IL2/4 and neutral polymers, 3-day culture with neutral polymer on OX40L(+)HK to inhibit cell death, and co-culture with OX40L(+)HK in the presence of the positively and negatively charged polymers. The extracellular environment made by soluble polymers plays a role in the growth of ATLL in vitro.