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Antigen‐initiated B‐Lymphocyte Differentiation
Author(s) -
HOWARD M.,
BAKER J.,
TEALE J.,
SHORTMAN K.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1980.tb00241.x
Subject(s) - progenitor cell , antigen , adoptive cell transfer , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , progenitor , antibody , stem cell , t cell , immune system
We have analysed the transient unresponsiveness of B cells following specific antigen prepriming. The effect is restricted to adoptive‐transfer antibody‐forming cell (AFC) progenitors (that is, ‘pre‐progenitors’) and does not occur with the separate subset of cell culture AFC progenitors (‘direct progenitors’). The transient unresponsiveness is displayed by both primary and secondary ‘pre‐progenitor’ B cells. Mixing experiments and experiments with athymic mice indicate that the effect is not due to suppressor T cells or other inhibitory cells. Nor is the effect due to an impaired seeding ability of the activated or antigen‐binding cells, since after adoptive transfer the preprimed cells can be activated by an appropriate non‐specific stimulus. The most likely explanation involves direct interaction of specific antigen with the antigen receptors on ‘pre‐progenitor’ B cells, rendering these cells more prone to temporary or permanent ‘tolerance’ on further antigen contact or, alternatively, directing their differentiation away from IgM AFC production on day 8 after transfer.