Recognition of EBV plasma membrane protein expressed on murine cells after gene transfer

The immune response to B lymphocytes infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) prevents their over-growth in normal humans. A murine model is now described for analyzing the T cell immune response to Epstein-Barr virus genes expressed in murine lymphoblasts by gene transfer. In mice, a 60,000 dalton virus-encoded protein characteristically found in the plasma membrane of latently infected human lymphocytes readily induces both proliferative and cytolytic T lymphocytes specific for both the EBV protein and murine major histocompatibility proteins. Longterm cultures of L3T4⁺ cells, some of which were cytolytic, were found to be restricted by H-2I-E(d) and the latent membrane protein. Similarly, Lyt-2⁺ cells were cytolytic and were restricted by H-2L(d) and the lymphocyte membrane protein gene product. The similarity in murine and human effector cell responses suggests that this is a useful experimental model, and the EBV latent infection membrane protein may be an important antigen in the immune restriction of growth transformed latently infected lymphocytes.