By using the two criteria (a) high density of immunoglobulin determinants on the cell surface and (b) presence of receptors for C'3 on the cell surface for defining bone marrow-derived lymphocytes, it is indirectly shown that all or at least a major population of human thymus-derived lymphocytes under certain conditions will form nonimmune rosettes with sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Almost all thymocytes tested from two different donors formed rosettes. The SRBC rosettes are not formed by virtue of immunoglobulin receptors and form only around living cells. Positive bivalent ions are required for rosette formation since EDTA will block rosette formation. Sodium iodoacetate will also block rosette formation demonstrating the dependence on an intact glycolytic pathway. Rosette formation is temperature dependent and will not appear at 37°C. Trypsin treatment of lymphocytes will abolish their SRBC-binding ability which cannot be restored by treating them with fresh donor serum or fetal calf serum, but which will reappear after culturing the lymphocytes. It is suggested that these rosettes are formed by a rapidly released or metabolized receptor substance on the living cell surface which behaves as a trypsin-sensitive structure produced by the cells themselves.

reactivity in F1 (A ϫ B) hosts. Although the mode of transfer of antigenic material from the transplanted, im-and Jo ¨rg Reimann † munogenic cells to host-derived APC during cross-prim-*Microbiology and Tumor Biology Center ing has not been elucidated, recent evidence for the Karolinska Institute shedding of antigenic vesicles (Zhou et al., 1992a; Ra-S-171 77 Stockholm poso et al., 1996) and for the release of immunogenic, Sweden apoptotic blebs (Casciola-Rosen et al., 1996) provides † Institute of Medical Microbiology interesting possibilities for antigen transfer to APC. Hu-University of Ulm ang et al. (1996b) recently studied cross-priming using D-89069 Ulm influenza virus nucleoprotein-transfected H-2 d tumor Federal Republic of Germany cells given to irradiated H-2 dxb mice rescued with bone marrow from TAP Ϫ/Ϫ H-2 b mice. These mice developed a normal T cell compartment (on the TAP ϩ/ϩ thymic epi-References processing compartment and thus efficiently capture those few MHC-I molecules that have escaped from the

The spontaneous lymphocyte mediated cytotoxicity (SLMC) of cells from normal donors against 19 different established cell lines was analysed. All normal lymphocytes were cytotoxic in all combinations tested in a17h 51-Cr release assay. ALMC was found to be mediated by a minor subpopulation of lymphocytes with Fc/C3 receptors. Non-cytotoxic SRBC binding T-lymphocytes could be induced to become cytotoxic by the addition of Con A to the incubation medium. SLMC and lectin-induced cytotoxicity were briefly characterized. It is argued that SLMC is a non-specific non-immunological reaction which must be taken into consideration when lymphocytes from cancer patients are tested against tumour-cell lines in vitro. Futhermore, SLMC and letin-induced cytotoxicity are proposed as functional markers for Fc/C3-binding lymphocytes and SRBC binding lymphocytes respectively.

Three exceptional cell lineA have been tested for the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus genome by nucleic acid hybridization (complementary RNA-DNA) and Epstein-Barr virus-determined nuclear antigen tests. Two lines were derived from Swedish lymphoma cases and one from an African Burkitt-like lymphoma biopsy that was negative for Epstein-Barr virus DNA and the virus-determined nuclear antigen. All three lines apparently lacked the viral genome. Two of the three lines clearly had characteristics of B-cells (bone-marrow-derived).

Human peripheral lymphocytes were investigated for receptors binding Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) because of the regular association of this virus with infectious mononucleosis and Burkitt's lymphoma. This was done by a cytoadherence technique where virus-producing cells, displaying fresh viral determinants in their cytoplasmatic membrane, were mixed with lymphocytes. Unfractionated lymphocytes were found to adhere to these cells in contrast to column-purified T lymphocytes. The specificity of the binding was confirmed by blocking experiments that showed that sera containing high titers of antibodies directed against the virus could partially inhibit the adherence in contrast to low-titer sera. It is concluded that B lymphocytes, in contrast to T lymphocytes, have receptors for EBV. In a second line of experiments it was found that established human lymphoblastoid lines that carry the EBV genome had receptors characteristic for B lymphocytes and did not form T-lymphocyte rosettes. In contrast, a line of known T-lymphocyte origin that did not carry the EBV genome had receptors characteristic for T lymphocytes. EBV-transformed simian lymphoblastoid lines had surface markers indicating a B-lymphocyte origin in contrast to HVS-transformed simian lines that lacked surface immunoglobulin but carried receptors for sheep red blood cells.