B-Lineage Phenotype of Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines from Patients with X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia.

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced precursor B-cell lines were established from bone marrow cells of patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia (X-LA). Using seven B-lineage specific monoclonal antibodies marker profiles of these cell lines were examined in order to know developmental stage specific and/or X-LA specific changes of B-cell related cellsurface antigens. CD19, CD20, CR2 (CD21), Fc E receptor (CD23) and HLA-DR antigens were consistently found on the X-LA derived precursor B-cell lines as well as mature lymphoblastoid cell lines from healthy adults. These results suggest that immortalisation of B-cells with EBV is always accompanied by expression of pan-B cell markers and B-cell activation antigen (Fc s receptor) even though the cell lines have precursor B-cell phenotypes as defined by immunoglobulin expression.X-linked agammaglobulinemia ; bone marrow ; precursor B cell lines ; B-lineage phenotype It is extremely difficult to handle normal precursor B cells directly. Usually, HLA-DR positive leukemia/lymphoma cells with or without CD10 antigen are used as being representative of precursor B cells, because of the finding of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements (Korsmeyer et al. 1983). Through analyses of surface antigens of those cells a hypothetical model of normal B-cell development has been proposed as the orderly acquisition of B-cell associated antigens (Anderson et al. 1984). According to this model, HLA-DR, CD19, CD20 and CR2