Membrane antigen on Epstein--Barr virus-infected human B cells recognized by a monoclonal antibody.

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Abstract
A monoclonal antibody (B532) was described that detects a membrane antigen present on .gtoreq. 95% of the [human] B cells from lines carrying the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome. Evidence suggesting that B532 is EBV-related was originally obtained by using a cell-binding radioassay with different cell line substrates. Immunofluorescence and cell-sorter analysis confirmed that the antigen was present in high density on all EBV-infected lymphoblastoid B cell lines but not on EBV-negative B-, T-, myeloid or null cell lines. Isolated normal peripheral blood B and T lymphocytes and monocytes failed to bind B532. The monoclonal antibody did not inhibit in vitro EBV infection nor did it block the killing of EBV-infected targets by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The cell surface antigen recognized by B532 was shown by immunoprecipitation to have a MW of .apprx. 45,000.