Use of bone marrow fibroblasts to prepare targets for an HLA restricted-cytotoxicity assay system

Methods are described for obtaining and growing fibroblasts from bone marrow for use as virus-infected targets. Fibroblasts obtained at the time of routine marrow examination were maintained through 12 to 18 passages as confluent monolayers. Bone marrow fibroblasts could be infected with varicella-zoster virus, and these infected cells were suitable targets for a 51Cr-release cytotoxicity assay. Since these virus-infected cells retain their HLA-A and -B antigens, they are readily available to study the immune cells which mediate virus-specific cytotoxicity.