Disease:

 Burkitt's lymphoma 

Origin:

 Established from the left maxilla of a 12-year-old African boy with Burkitt lymphoma in 1963; first continuous human hematopoietic cell line 

Species:

 Homo sapiens 

Tissue:

 Lymphoblast 

Morphology:

 Lymphoblast 

Properties:

 Round single cells in suspension 

Cytogenic data:

 human flat-moded hypotetraploid karyotype with 12% polyploidy - 89(80-91)<4n>XXYY, -4, -9, -12, -16, -18, -21, +3mar, add(4)(q35), add(6)(q27)x2, t(8;14)(q24;q32), der(8)t(8;14) (q24;q32)add(8)(?p12), del(9)(p23), der(14)t(8;14)(q24;q32) - carries t(8;14) associated with Burkitt lymphoma - closely resembles depositor's karyotype 

Patient:

 Male, Black, 11 yrs of age 

Medium:

 RPMI1640 + 10% FBS 

Subculture:

 Optimal split ratio of saturated culture at 1:4 to 1:8 twice a week; seed out at 0.5 x 10^6 cells/ml; maximum of 1.5x10^6 viable cells/mL is considered saturated culture; 5% CO2; 37 °C 

Freezing Medium:

Complete culture medium supplemented with 5% (v/v) DMSO

Biosafety Level:

 I (The cell line is positive for EBV (HHV-4) by PCR analysis. However, expression of immediate-early protein BZLF-1 and lately expressed capsid protein were negative by western blot and immunostaining, respectively, in untreated and phorbol ester / sodium butyrate stimulated cells. The infection was classified as latent infection without production of active viruses. A transmission of EBV during handling of the cells is unlikely and thus the cell line is categorized biosafety level 1). 

Sterility:

Bacteria: Negative 

Yeast: Negative 

Mycoplasma: Negative 

Pathogens:

HIV: Negative 

Hepatitis B: Negative 

Hepatitis C: Negative 

DNA Profile (STR):
 Amelogenin: X,Y; CSF1PO: 10,12; D13S317: 13; D16S539: 8,11; D5S818: 10,13; D7S820: 10; THO1: 6,7; TPOX: 8,13; vWA: 16,19 

References for Raji cells:

1. Pulvertaft JV. Cytology of Burkitt's tumour (African lymphoma). Lancet 1: 238-240, 1964.