T cell dependence of cells synthesizing immunoglobulin without detectable antibody function induced after an antigenic stimulation

✍ Scribed by J. -C. Antoine; Christine Petit; Marie-Anne Bach; J. -F. Bach; J. -C. Salomon; S. Avrameas

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1977
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 634 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-2980
• DOI: 10.1002/eji.1830070603

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A previous study of primary and secondary immune responses of rats and mice immunized against various protein antigens allowed us to describe a population of immunocytes containing, synthesizing and secreting immunoglobulins without detectable antibody function against the antigen injected (IFC). We here report their T cell‐dependence. Mice, thymectomized, irradiated and reconstituted with bone marrow or fetal liver cells, generally show neither antibody‐forming cells (AFC) nor cells synthesizing immunoglobulin without detectable antibody function. In some mice, probably only partly T cell‐deprived, antibody‐containing cells were seen, and at that time they were associated with cells synthesizing immunoglobulin without detectable antibody function. For most of the animals studied in primary response, however, the IFC population remained higher than the AFC population throughout the immune response. In normal animals immunoglobulin‐synthesizing cells were predominant at the beginning of the immune response, then decreased and progressively replaced by antibody‐synthesizing cells. After the first injection or after two stimuli, the number of responders among T cell‐deprived mice increased progressively. Finally, these experiments indicate that both cells synthesizing immunoglobulins without detectable antibody function and specific AFC are thymus‐dependent and rule out the hypothesis according to which horseradish peroxidase is a polyclonal B cell activator.