Estimation of B-cells transformed by Epstein-Barr virus in patients with congenital agammaglobulinemia.

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Abstract
TSUCHIYA, S., NAKAE, S., Koxno, T., TADA, K. and ONo, Y. Estimation of B-Cells Transformed by Epstein-Barr Virus in Patients with Congenital Agammaglobulinemia. Tohoku J. exp. Med., 1981, 135 (4), 379-385 - In vitro immunoglobulin synthesis was measured in lymphocytes from four patients with congenital agammaglobulinemia (cAy) stimulated by two different polyclonal B-cell activators, pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). In PWM -stimulated cultures, patient T-cells treated with mitomycin C (MMC) were able to help the immunoglobulin (Ig) synthesis of normal B-cells. Patient B-cellenriched fraction not containing surface Ig positive cells did not produce Ig in combination with MMC-treated autologous or allogeneic T-cells. Patient lymphocytes were infected with EBV and the subsequent production of Ig was measured. In lymphocytes from control subjects, exponential growth of the cells having EBV-associated nuclear antigen (EBNA) was shown to be associated with an exponential increase in Ig secretion within 1 week after EBV infection. However, in lymphocytes from three of the four patients, it took 2, 4 and 10 weeks, respectively, until lymphocyte-transformation and subsequent Ig-secretion were observed. Lymphocytes from one patient were not transformed nor did they secrete Ig after EBV infection. These results may imply that a small number of B-cells are present in peripheral blood of most of patients with cAy, and that they are able to produce Ig after transformation by EBV which takes a much longer time than in controls. B cell; Epstein-Barr virus; congenital agammaglobulinemia

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