B cells immortalized by a mini–Epstein-Barr virus encoding a foreign antigen efficiently reactivate specific cytotoxic T cells

Abstract excerpt

Lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) are human B cells latently infected and immortalized by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Presenting viral antigens, they efficiently induce EBV-specific T-cell responses in vitro. Analogous ways to generate T-cell cultures specific for other antigens of interest are highly desirable. Previously, we constructed a mini-EBV plasmid that consists of less than half the EBV genome, is unable...