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Canine Large Granular Lymphocyte Leukemia and its Derived Cell Line Produce Infectious Retroviral Particles

^* Etablissement de Transfusion Sanguine, Gerland (IG, DR) and INSERM U412, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Gerland (IG, AC, JLD), Ecole Vétérinaire de Lyon, Département de Médecine des Carnivores Domestiques and Unité de Dermatologie et Laboratoire d'Immunopathologie, Marcy l'Etoile (LC, JPM, CF), France

We describe a case of large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia in a dog that we followed over a period of 2 years. Analysis of a hematological profile revealed lymphocytosis (19,500 lymphocytes per microliter; reference values, 1,000–4,800 lymphocytes per microliter), with a majority of LGL on the blood smear. LGL is defined as a lymphoid subset comprising 10% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and corresponding to either CD3^- CD8^- NK cells or CD3⁺ CD8⁺ T cells. The cells are characterized by abundant basophilic cytoplasm containing distinct granules of variable size and number. The characteristic phenotype of our leukemic LGL is of a cytotoxic T cell, CD3⁺ and CD8⁺. A new cell line, DLC 02, was established from the peripheral lymphocytes of the leukemic dog. Particles with type C retroviral morphology were found in ultrathin sections of DLC 02 cell pellets. These particles were found to have a sucrose gradient density of 1.17 g/liter and a reverse transcriptase activity with an Mn²⁺ preference, suggesting that they correspond to a mammalian type C oncovirus.

Key words: Canine; electron microscopy; large granular lymphocyte; leukemia; retrovirus; reverse transcriptase activity; T CD8⁺.

Request reprints from Dr. I. Ghernati, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Unité de Virologie Humaine INSERM U412, 46 Allée de l'Italie 69364 Lyon 07.

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