A time study of the requirement for carrier-specific helper cells in the response of mice to dinitrophenylated keyhole limpet hemocyanin.
The anti-hapten response of spleen cells from mice primed with hapten-carrier (dinitrophenylated keyhole limpet hemocyanin) was decreased by depletion of T cells during the first four days after secondary antigenic stimulation, but was unaffected when the T cells were depleted on day 5. The response of cultures that were depleted of T cells prior to secondary antigenic stimulation was restored by addition of carrier-primed cells during the first two days of culture, partially restored on day 3, but not at later times. Thus, T cells were required only at about day 4 of a secondary response to a T-dependent antigen that peaked on day 8. Autoradiography experiments showed that the frequency of antigen-binding cells increased with time regardless of the presence of T cells in the cultures. We conclude that helper T cells are not required for B cell proliferation, but are required for the differentiation of B cells to antibody-secreting cells.
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004136:Dinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006433:Hemocyanins / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007700:Kinetics; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors
D000941:Antigens; D004136:Dinitrobenzenes; D006433:Hemocyanins