MOLT-4 Cells

MOLT-4 is a T lymphoblast cell line derived from the peripheral blood of a 19-year-old male patient with Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in relapse in 1971. It is a sister cell line of MOLT-3, while MOLT-4 shows an unusual T-cell antigen receptor gamma-chain gene (T-gamma) rearrangement. MOLT-4 cells have a doubling time of around 30 hours, grow in suspension, and are tumorigenic in untreated nude mice, anti-lymphocyte serum-treated mice, and x-irradiated mice. MOLT-4 cells have a hypertetraploid chromosome number with the modal chromosome number of 95 occurring in 24% of cells but show stable and recurrent structural abnormalities of chromosomes and longer telomere length. MOLT-4 expresses a variety of T cell markers including CD1, CD2, CD3A, CD3B, CD3C, CD4, CD5, CD6, and CD7. They also express high levels of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). The MOLT-4 cell line does not produce immunoglobulin or Epstein-Barr virus. The patient from whom the cells were derived had received prior multidrug chemotherapy. There is a G -> A mutation at codon 248 of the p53 gene, and P53 is not expressed. The line was initially contaminated with mycoplasma but has since been cured with antibiotics. Leukemia cell lines, Peripheral blood, Adult T acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Growth Conditions: Suspension, Biosafety level: BSL 1