Spontaneous in vitro secretion of antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV) by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: a new approach to studying the CMV-immune system interaction.
The in vitro secretion of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific antibodies by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was analyzed in patients with acute CMV infection and CMV-seropositive patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. This active and spontaneous in vitro secretion was not affected by the depletion of T cells or adherent cells. The number of anti-CMV antibody-secreting cells was estimated to be 28-176/10(6) PBMC; 30%-65% of the total in vitro antibody production was CMV-specific. This secretion seemed to be independent of in vitro polyclonal B cell activation, in vitro antigen-specific lymphocyte stimulation, or in vivo Epstein-Barr virus-induced B cell transformation. In vitro anti-CMV antibody production may therefore result from an in vivo stimulation of the immune system by CMV antigens and might indicate CMV replication in the host.
Vendrell
J P
JP
Department of Immunology, Montpellier I University, France.
Segondy
M
M
Fournier
A M
AM
Huguet
M F
MF
Reynes
J
J
Ducos
J
J
Serre
A
A
D000208:Acute Disease; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G