Impairment of T-cell control of Epstein-Barr virus infected B-cells in patients with adult T-cell leukemia.
The abilities of peripheral blood lymphocytes from 9 patients with adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and 14 healthy control adults to cause regression of proliferating B-cell foci induced by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) were examined. Marked regression of EBV-transformed B-cell foci was observed in lymphocytes from all 10 EBV-seropositive donors but with none of those of the 4 EBV-seronegative donors in the control group. The lymphocyte of all 9 patients with ATL, who were EBV-seropositive, caused little or no regression of B-cell foci like those of EBV-negative healthy donors. These results suggest that the absence of regression of EBV-induced B-cell proliferation observed in ATL patients is due to impairment of EBV-specific killer T-cell activities.
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology*; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D017977:Deltaretrovirus; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G