The accessory function of B lymphocytes is resistant to the adverse effects of UV radiation

The effect of UV radiation on the accessory activities of B lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL) was investigated in three types of in vitro T lymphocyte proliferation assay, each of which differed in its accessory requirements. In contrast to monocytes whose accessory function was universally sensitive to UV radiation, B-LCL were resistant to UV in oxidative mitogenesis and staphylococcal enterotoxin B assays, in which stimulus processing was not a requirement. Expression of membrane interleukin (IL) 1 and HLA-DR antigens by B-LCL and monocytes was not affected by UV, nor was surface membrane expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on B-LCL. These results were in marked contrast to monocytes in which there was a > 65% reduction in ICAM-1 expression. When UV-irradiated B-LCL were employed as antigen-presenting cells for tetanus toxoid-dependent T cell stimulation, a reduction in antigen-presenting function was observed. However, pulsing of B-LCL with tetanus toxoid prior to UV irradiation preserved their antigenpresenting capacity in this system also. These findings indicate that there is differential UV sensitivity among accessory cells which may be explained by different effects of UV radiation on antigen processing and adhesion molecule expression.