CHARACTERIZATION OF THE CAMEL SKIN CELL-LINE DUBCA

A skin fibroblast cell culture was established from a 2-month-old dromedary foetus. The cells were transformed by infection with SV40 and cloned in soft agar. The established cell line is now designated Dubca cells (Dubai camel) and has been in permanent culture for 95 passages. The cell culture was examined morphologically, chromosome preparations made and DNA fingerprinting performed by hybridization with the oligonucleotide probe (GTG)(5) SV40 large T antigen was detected by western blotting. The viral host range was determined by infection with viruses of different families. Camelpox virus (CaPV) bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and border disease virus (BDV) could be propagated in these cells.