Morphologic observations of contact-induced lysis of EBV-infected B lymphocytes by autologous hand mirror T cells

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Abstract
To study the possible immunologic role of hand mirror lymphocytes (HML) in the control of Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV)‐infected B lymphocytes in patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM), we studied the in vitro interactions of these cells by time‐lapse video light microscopy. Peripheral blood T lymphocytes isolated from three patients in the early recovery phase of IM were mixed with their autologous EBV‐infected B cells. Motile lymphocytes with their characteristic hand mirror shape were observed to attach by their uropods to the B cells. The HML remained attached for variable periods ranging from 45‐75 min. Following detachment, B cells that were in contact with HML underwent lysis. Mixtures of T cells from healthy donors and EBV‐infected cell lines exhibited only rare uropod formation with no attachment or lysis of B cells. The present experiment indicates that contact‐induced lysis of EBV‐infected B lymphocytes is operative in IM and that this process is mediated by the HML.