B lymphocyte regulation of human hematopoiesis.

Epstein Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B lymphoblastoid cell lines (BLCL) were derived from seven different individuals. The ability of BLCL supernatants to stimulate hematopoietic colony formation in vitro was tested in a conventional stem cell assay system. Supernatants promoted the growth of single (GM, E, MK) as well as multi-lineage (GEMM) colonies in bone marrow cultures. Our results indicate that EBV-transformed B lymphocytes produce cytokines that affect in vitro stem cell proliferation and differentiation. These studies demonstrate the regulatory potential of activated B lymphocytes in human hematopoiesis.