title: Further phenotypic characterization of target cells for bovine leukemia virus experimental infection in sheep.
abstract: To determine the phenotype of target cells for bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection in sheep, we analyzed blood lymphocytes from BLV-infected clinically healthy and leukemic sheep by use of monoclonal antibodies. In clinically healthy and leukemic sheep that were BLV-infected, the blood concentration of T lymphocytes was within normal values, but the number of B lymphocytes was increased in several cases. In addition, the number of blood lymphocytes expressing the BLV antigen correlated well with that of B lymphocytes. Double immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that lymphocytes expressing BLV antigens bore B-cell but not T-cell surface markers. Moreover, neoplastic cells in the lymph nodes of leukemic sheep were stained immunohistochemically with an anti-B monoclonal antibody but not with any of anti-T monoclonal antibody tested, indicating that tumor cells are of B-lymphocyte origin. Collectively, these results show that BLV antigen-positive cells obtained from BLV-infected sheep that have no clinical signs and BLV-induced lymphosarcoma cells belong to the B-lymphocyte lineage.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Gene Technology and Safety, Tsukuba Life Science Center, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyasaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onuma
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kogure
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Minoprio
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D001909:Leukemia Virus, Bovine / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D007942:Leukemia, Experimental / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D010641:Phenotype; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral