Alteration of lymphocyte surface properties by insertion of foreign functional components of plasma membrane.

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Abstract
Solubilized lymphocyte plasma membranes and Sendai virus envelopes were successfully coreconstituted into membrane vesicles that possessed the ability to fuse efficiently with mouse splenocytes and thymocytes to give fully viable cells with modified surface properties. Integration of donor membrane components into the acceptor cells was demonstrated by chemical, morphological and immunological methods. Over 40% of the label from vesicles coreconstituted with radiolabeled (with 125I or 3H) lymphocyte membranes was incorporated into the infused cells. Insertion of biotin-labeled membrane components into the membranes of the acceptor cells was shown by EM with ferritin-conjugated avidin. Transfer of receptors to soybean agglutinin was also demonstrated. When vesicles from thymocyte membranes were fused with B splenocytes, over 50% of the cells were lysed with anti-.theta. antiserum and complement. Lymphocytes into which allogeneic membranes were incorporated triggered the autologous cells in the mixed lymphocyte reaction, indicating the functional transfer of major histocompatibility complex antigens. The transferred membranes were apparently functionally incorporated into the acceptor cell membranes. The technique described opens new ways for elucidation of the role of the lymphocyte membrane in the immune response and for the understanding of the structure-function relationship of membrane components in other cells.