Immunoglobulins on the surface of sheep lymphocytes. I. Class and cellular distribution

The BLV-induced leukemia--lymphosarcoma complex in sheep

Sheep are highly susceptible to BLV infection and can be infected via several different means (routes). In all inoculated animals, specific anti-BLV antibodies can be demonstrated 1 to 3 months post-inoculation (p.i.). Between 10 and 13 months p.i., a moderate but persistent lymphocytosis (PL) may be detected in about 50% of the infected animals. This hematological disorder may be, but is not necessarily, associated with the development of a lymphosarcoma and can (might) be interpreted as a true lymphoid leukemia. According to findings revealed by immunolabelling and mitogen stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes, BLV-induced PL appears to be a B-cell disorder. Induced lymphosarcoma appears in about 40% of infected sheep during the 6 years p.i. It too is of B-lymphocyte lineage. In vitro studies demonstrate that BLV antigen is expressed exclusively in B-lymphocytes. Yet, BLV expression is greatly stimulated in whole lymphocyte culture by the addition of T-cell mitogen. This same phenomenon occurs when the supernatant of stimulated T-lymphocyte cultures is added to isolated BLV-infected B-lymphocytes. This observation supports the hypothesis that, as is the case with other retroviruses such as HIV, BLV is able to use the regular activation machinery of the immune system for its own replication and transmission. It seems, therefore, that the leukemia-lymphoma complex in sheep may serve as an accurate experimental model for the study of the biological properties of retroviruses.

Characterization of lymphocyte subpopulations in sheep by rosette formation, adherence to nylon wool and mitogen responsiveness

Sheep peripheral blood lymphocytes have been studied using a number of surface markers. Thus 16.6 +/- 2.4% (mean +/- S.E.) were surface immunoglobulin positive (sIg+) by direct immunofluorescence, 35.9 +/- 2.1% formed Fc rosettes with bovine red blood cells (RBC) sensitized with rabbit antibody (Fc+) and 28.4 +/- 2.0% formed rosettes with sheep red blood cells (RBC) in the presence of 4% dextran (DS+). The percentage of both Fc+ and DS+ lymphocytes tended to increase with age of the animals. Demonstration of these markers allowed computation of two further subpopulations: null cells lacking sIg and a receptor for sheep RBC, and Fc.null cells lacking a receptor for Fc and sheep RBC. The former population, which contained a proportion of Fc+ lymphocytes comprised 49.8 +/- 3.8% of blood lymphocytes and the latter 38.4 +/- 3.0%. Separation on nylon wool columns, selective rosette enrichment and depletion on density gradients and stimulation with phytomitogens have shown sIg+ and Fc+ lymphocytes to be nylon wool adherent and unresponsive to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and Concanavalin A (Con A) and DS+ lymphocytes to be nylon wool non-adherent and responsive to PHA and Con A. The data also indicates a major overlap of the lymphocyte subpopulations bearing sIg and Fc which are apparently B lymphocytes. Moreover these data support the contention that E-rosette formation with sheep RBC in the presence of dextran is a marker for sheep T cells. The data also indicates tha Fc.null cells are T cells, eluting in the non-adherent fraction from nylon wool. It is probable that a proportion of these cells bear a SRBC receptor too weak for present detection methods.

Studies on the lymphocytes of sheep. II. Some properties of cells in various compartments of the recirculating lymphocyte pool

The proportion of cells bearing surface immunoglobulin (Ig) and the normal lymphocyte transfer (NLT) reactivity of mononuclear cells obtained from the blood, afferent lymph, and efferent lymph from both somatic and intestinal nodes of sheep were measured. The proportion of Ig-positive lymphocytes was approximately 30% in blood and efferent lymph, but only about 10% in afferent lymph. The proportion of unlabeled lymphocytes (T cells) was about the same in all the preparations, as afferent lymph contains 15--20% macrophages. Despite this apparent uniformity in the T cell content, the NLT reactivity of efferent lymph was 3 to 5 times higher than that of blood or afferent lymph. No humoral factors could be detected by incubating cells in the various plasmas in vitro before injection. No inhibitory cells could be detected when mixtures of cell populations were used to initiate lesions. We suggest that lymphocytes in efferent lymph are more reactive than others because they are "groomed" by macrophages during their recirculatory passage through the substance of the node.

Lymphocyte surface immunoglobulins

Immunoglobulins have been isolated from the surface of B (bone marrow-derived) and T (thymus-derived) lymphocytes. Two types of membrane immunoglobulin occur on B lymphocytes; one type resembles the 200,000-dalton subunit of IgM, the second possesses a heavy chain electrophoretically distinct from mu chain and does not correspond to any of the known classes of mouse immunoglobulins. It might correspond to human sigma chain. T lymphocytes possess only one type of surface immunoglobulin. This molecule has a mass of approximately 200,000 daltons and contains light chains and heavy chains similar to, but not identical to, mu chains. Evidence now exists that surface IgM-like immunoglobulins of B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes activated to certain antigens can bind specifically to antigen. These observations suggest that surface immunoglobulin functions as a receptor for antigen on B cells and at least on some T cells. The mechanisms by which combination of antigen with surface immunoglobulin initiate differentiation remain to be determined.