Is EBV persistence in vivo a model for B cell homeostasis?
We have measured the absolute numbers of EBV-infected B cells in the peripheral blood of healthy persistently infected individuals. Single measurements on a panel of 15 healthy individuals demonstrate that the frequency varies over a wide range from 1-50 per 10(6) B cells. Repeat measurements over 1-3.5 years on several individuals whose frequencies varied over a 10-fold range showed that the variation does not represent the fluctuation in the frequency that can occur within an individual; rather, the frequencies are specific to the individual. The frequency within an individual measured over time is stable and contributes less than 10% to the variance seen in the whole population. These measurements suggest that the level of EBV-infected B cells is tightly regulated and we propose that the same homeostatic mechanisms that regulate the levels of normal B cells also regulate B cells latently infected with EBV.
Khan
G
G
Department of Pathology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.
Miyashita
E M
EM
Yang
B
B
Babcock
G J
GJ
Thorley-Lawson
D A
DA
D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000821:virology; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D017735:Virus Latency