Peripheral T-cell lymphoma in herpesvirus saimiri-infected tamarins: tumor cell lines reveal subgroup-specific differences

Efficiency of lymphoma induction by herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) isolates correlates with the genetically defined viral subgroups A, B, and C. To compare subgroup-specific effects, highly susceptible tamarins were infected with HVS strain A-11, B-SMHI, or C-488. All animals developed T-cell lymphomas indistinguishable with respect to clinical, pathological, and virological parameters. Ex vivo T-cell lines were established readily from the HVS C-488 animal, less efficiently in the presence of HVS A-11, and from only a single HVS B-SMHI sample. These cultivated cells revealed strain-specific biochemical characteristics. HVS A-11 strongly induced the expression of tyrosine kinase Lyn. HVS C-488 led to the activation of STAT3, which is most likely linked to the association of virus-encoded Tip with tyrosine kinase Lck. The lack of these activities in HVS B-SMHI-transformed cells may correlate with the reduced oncogenic phenotype of this virus in species other than tamarins.