Reed-Sternberg like cells in cultures of mononuclear blood cells infected by Epstein-Barr virus.

The origin of Reed-Sternberg cell is still unresolved. It is known that in the cultures of mononuclear blood cells stimulated by pokeweed mitogen, Reed-Sternberg like cells occur. Most of these cells have the phenotype of T lymphocytes. To investigate the fusion theory, as one of the possibilities for the origin of Reed-Sternberg cells, we have infected mononuclear blood cells from normal donors by Epstein-Barr virus as a T cell independent B lymphocyte stimulator. In these cell cultures, large multinucleated cells resembling Reed-Sternberg cells were found. These cells usually have the phenotype of B lymphocytes, some of them, however, also have markers of monocytes/macrophages. The possibility of an in vitro fusion between B lymphocytes and monocytes induced by Epstein-Barr virus may be assumed. As to the origin of Reed-Sternberg cells, an in vivo fusion between B-lymphocyte and monocyte/macrophage is proposed.