Human B lymphocytes form rosettes after insertion of T lymphocyte membrane constituents

Isolated plasma membranes from human thymocytes or peripheral T lymphocytes, upon their reconstitution with envelope glycoproteins of Sendai virus, afforded membrane vesicles that fused efficiently with human peripheral B cells. The B cells thus obtained acquired the ability to form regular rosettes at 4°C with sheep red blood cells. However, only B cells modified by fusion with thymocyte membranes formed stable rosettes at 37°C, a property which distinguishes thymocytes from peripheral T cells. Transfer of membrane components between human cells provides a new approach for the investigation of the sheep red blood cell receptor as well as the structure-function relationship of other lymphocyte membrane components.