Long-term T-cell-mediated immunity to Epstein-Barr virus

The factors which serve to maintain the virus-host balance in previously infected (seropositive) individuals are poorly understood, but a central role for T-cell-mediated immunity has long been suspected, principally because of the proven involvement of reactive T-cells during the primary infection...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Ill.), 1981-11, Vol.41 (11 Pt 1), p.4216-4221
Main Authors: Rickinson, A B, Moss, D J, Wallace, L E, Rowe, M, Misko, I S, Epstein, M A, Pope, J H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Antibodies, Monoclonal - immunology
Antigens, Surface - immunology
Antigens, Viral - immunology
Cell Line
Cell Transformation, Viral
Cytotoxicity, Immunologic
Epstein-Barr virus
Herpesvirus 4, Human - immunology
HLA Antigens - immunology
Humans
Immunity, Cellular
Infectious Mononucleosis - immunology
Monocytes - immunology
T-Lymphocytes - immunology
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Summary:The factors which serve to maintain the virus-host balance in previously infected (seropositive) individuals are poorly understood, but a central role for T-cell-mediated immunity has long been suspected, principally because of the proven involvement of reactive T-cells during the primary infection as manifest in IM patients. Thus, the atypical lymphoblasts present in large numbers in the blood of such patients were found to be mainly of thymic origin and to include a population of effector cells which appeared to be specifically cytotoxic in vitro for EB virus genome-positive target cell lines. These observations led to the concept of a LYDMA which was distinct from the known serologically defined viral antigens and which was expressed not only on virus-infected cells in vivo, where it served to elicit the primary T-cell response, but also on all EB virus genome-positive cell lines in vitro. While the nature of the cytotoxic T-cell response in IM patients has continued to arouse considerable debate, the initial studies clearly raised the possibility that LYDMA-specific memory T-cells with cytotoxic potential might exist in all seropositive individuals, serving to control the persistent EB viral infection. This paper explores the idea of T-cell mediation of immunity to EBV.
ISSN:0008-5472