Specific human cytotoxic T cells recognize B-cell lines persistently infected with respiratory syncytial virus.

Journal article

The T-lymphocyte response to respiratory syncytial (RS) virus has been invoked to explain the bronchiolitis and pneumonia caused by RS virus in human infants. However, T cells also appear to play a role in protection against RS virus infection. Although RS virus-specific human lymphocytes have been demonstrated, neither the phenotype nor the function of the lymphocytes was characterized. We describe here the induction of anti-RS virus cytotoxic T lymphocytes, in both bulk culture and restimulated cell lines, from human peripheral blood. Infection of Epstein-Barr virus-transformed human B-cell lines with RS virus in vitro readily caused a persistent infection; these cells continued to synthesize RS viral proteins and secrete infectious RS virus 4 months after infection. The persistently infected cells were used both to restimulate cytotoxic-T-cell precursors and as targets for RS virus-specific cytotoxic T cells.

Authors: Bangham, C; Mcmichael, A

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
• Volume: 83
• Issue: 23
• Pages: 9183-9187
• Publication date: 1986-12-01
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.83.23.9183
• EISSN: 1091-6490
• ISSN: 0027-8424
• Language: English
• Keywords: B-Lymphocytes; Immunologic Memory; HLA Antigens; Glycoproteins; Antigens, Surface; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Cells, Cultured; Antigens, Viral; Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Humans