Pyothorax-associated lymphoma (PAL) with biclonal Epstein-Barr virus infection: characterization of a novel PAL cell line with unique features.

Pyothorax-associated lymphoma (PAL) is a representative form of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma associated with chronic inflammation, in which the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome is consistently detectable in the lymphoma cells of all PAL cases. Cell lines and animal models would be useful for understanding better this rare lymphoma, but reports of PAL-derived cell lines are scarce. We report a new PAL cell line, designated Pal-2, with unique phenotypic expression. Pal-2 is the first PAL cell line that carries a biclonal EBV infection with abundant viral genome and that exhibits tumorigenic capacity once injected into nude mice.