Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) receptor implantation onto human B lymphocytes changes immunoglobulin secretion patterns induced by EBV infection.

Mosaic membrane vesicles containing both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) receptors and Sendai virus envelope proteins were allowed to form by the previously described membrane solubilization and co-reconstitution technique. The vesicles were allowed to fuse with the membranes of normal human B lymphocytes, whereafter the cells were infected with transforming EBV (B95-8 substrain). Compared to similarly infected but otherwise unmanipulated cells, the receptor-implanted lymphocytes responded with a larger number of EBV-determined nuclear antigen positive and immunoglobulin-secreting plaque-forming cells (PFC). Moreover, there was a clear increase of the IgG/IgM PFC ratio in the receptor-implanted B lymphocytes. These results show that not all human B lymphocytes that can potentially be activated by EBV express functional EBV receptors. B lymphocytes programmed to secrete IgG appear to be more defective in this respect than IgM secretors.