title: Epstein-Barr virus preferentially induces proliferation of primed B cells.
abstract: EBV can induce human B cells to proliferate, differentiate, and undergo transformation into continuously growing lymphoblastoid cell lines. The EBV responsiveness appears to be confined to a very limited subpopulation of B cells, the nature of which is still unclear. In these studies, we sorted tonsillar B cells on the basis of their expression of the early surface activation Ag, Bac-1, and compared their proliferative responses to EBV. Bac-1+ cells responded to EBV with a relatively high level of DNA synthesis, whereas the Bac-1- cells did not. Both large and small Bac-1+ cells were responsive to EBV and the responsiveness was unrelated to the level of Bac-1 immunofluorescence intensity. Bac-1+ cells were relatively enriched for surface IgM and IgD expression. When the Bac-1- population was enriched for IgM+ cells, the proliferative response was still significantly lower than that of the Bac-1+ population. B cells acquire the ability to bind IgM relatively late after activation, and this feature did not distinguish the EBV-responsive B cells. The results suggest B cells become responsive to EBV after an early activation signal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Crain
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002143:Callitrichinae; D002460:Cell Line; D002648:Child; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007072:Immunoglobulin D / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000378:metabolism; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D014066:Palatine Tonsil; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000032:analysis; D011961:Receptors, Fc / Q000032:analysis; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D007072:Immunoglobulin D; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D011961:Receptors, Fc; C035311:immunoglobulin M receptor; D004247:DNA