T-cell regulation of B-lymphoblastoid cell line function

Seventeen B-lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCLs) have been studied for their ability to intereact with normal T cells and produce IgG and IgM in culture. All B-LCLs were HLA homozygous, having been derived from consanguineous donors by in vitro transformation with Epstein-Barr virus, 1 × 10⁴ B-LCLs were cultured with 0, 5, 10, or 20 times as many normal peripheral blood T cells in a 0.2-ml culture. Culture supernatants were removed after 3 and 6 days and assayed for IgG and IgM by a radioimmunoassay. Thirteen of the cell lines were able to secrete immunoglobulin (50–6000 ng/ml), primarily IgG, when cultured without T cells. Addition of T cells (sheep erythrocyte rosette-forming cells) modulated immunoglobulin production, causing either marked enhancement or suppression depending upon the B-cell line. T cells cultured without the B-LCLs did not secrete immunoglobulin above the background level of the immunoassays (6.25 ng/ml). Cell lines which did not secrete IgM when cultured alone could frequently be induced to do so when T cells from select donors were added. Under these conditions, IgM was generally found only in the supernatant fluid removed after 6 days. Taken together, these results suggest that B-LCLs contain cells of at least two stages, those that secrete IgG and resting cells capable of secreting IgM. Furthermore, cells at both stages can be regulated by normal T cells.