Bovine leukemia virus (BLV)-infected B-cells express a marker similar to the CD5 T cell marker

A Depelchin, Jean-Jacques Letesson, N Lostrie-Trussart, M Mammerickx, D Portetelle, A Burny

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In the course of generating monoclonal antibodies to bovine thymus-dependent differentiation antigens, we were able to characterize an antibody, termed 8C11, that detects an antigen shared by a majority of thymocytes and peripheral T cells (in blood and thymus-dependent area of spleen and lymph-nodes), but undetectable on normal B cells. However, this antibody was reactive with B cells from cows infected with bovine leukemia virus (BLV). These BLV-infected B cells were found to express simultaneously high concentrations of both surface IgM and 8C11-detected antigen. The antigen recognized by this antibody was shown to be a 67.5 kDa molecule. Because similar findings have been made on mouse myelomas and on human chronic leukemia cells, where this antigen was considered to be the equivalent of mouse Ly-1 antigen and human Leu-1 or CD5 antigen, the T cell antigen detected on BLV-infected cells could be the bovine counterpart of the CD5 antigen. By another way, it has been found that the CD5 T cell antigen is also present on a minor subpopulation of B cells in the spleen but not in the blood. We suggest that in the bovine a similar B cell subpopulation should be the BLV target and expand as a consequence of viral insertion, leading to the persistent lymphocytosis observed on BLV-infected animals.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)69-76
Number of pages8
JournalImmunology letters
Volume20
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1989

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