Peripheral blood lymphocyte receptors for B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL)

Because interactions between B cells and T lymphoyctes are of fundamental importance in the generation of the immune response to most antigens, we attempted to identify the cells capable of binding B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL), their tissue distribution, and their presence in other species. Cells bearing a surface receptor for B-LCL were found in human peripheral blood, tonsil, and bone marrow, as well as mouse and rat spleen. Binding cells were phenotypically heterogeneous. The majority are T cells as defined by their ability to bind sheep red blood cells (E-rosettes). However, a subpopulation of non-T-lymphocytes were capable of binding B-LCL. This was demonstrated by depleting T cells with an E-rosette centrifugation technique and then performing a double rosette assay. The wide distribution of T lymphocytes with receptors for B-lymphoblastoid cells within peripheral lymphoid organs and their presence in several species suggest that these surface molecules may represent one of the means by which T cells and B cells interact in the induction of the immune response to T-dependent antigens.