The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Vol 138, 1276-1281,
Copyright © 1973 by The Rockefeller University Press
OVERLAP STIMULATION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY B CELLS BY CROSS-REACTING DETERMINANTS
N. R. Klinman 1,
J. L Press 1, and
G. P. Segal 1
1 From the Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19174
Experiments were carried out to test the validity of the hypothesis that postulated differences in the nature of the antigen receptors of primary and secondary B cells should be reflected in a greater specificity in primary B-cell stimulation (2). Enumeration of clonal precursors stimulated by either DNP-Hy, TNP-Hy, or a mixture of both antigens confirmed this hypothesis. Since the sum of primary B cells stimulated by DNP-Hy and TNP-Hy is approximately equal to the number stimulated by a mixture of both, overlap stimulation of primary B cells by these antigens could be considered negligible. In contrast, the stimulation of B cells from mice previously immunized with DNP-Hy showed extensive overlap of stimulation by DNP-Hy and TNP-Hy. Thus secondary B cells appear less fastidious in their affinity requirements for stimulation than primary B cells.
Submitted on August 9, 1973