Brief Communication Detection of EBNA and Rescue of Transforming EBV in Megakaryocyte Cells Established in Culture

Abstract

For the first time, cell lines of human megakaryocytes have been obtained from the circulating blood of normal donors and patients with various blood disorders (Morgan and Brodsky, 1984). The cultures consist predominantly of small “lymphoid” cells accompanied by giant multinucleated cells which spontaneously accumulate (Fig. 1, A and B). These giant cells have morphological properties common to well-defined megakaryocytes (Morgan and Brodsky, 1984). These “lymphoid” cells have no surface markers specific for lymphocytes, monocytes or granulocytes. Most significantly, greater than 80% of the cells do express antigens specific for and/or associated with megakaryocytes and platelets (Table 1).