Induction of B cell priming by neonatal injection of mice with thymic-independent (type 2) antigens.
Mice injected at birth with the thymus-independent type 2 antigen TNP-AECM-Ficoll have augmented anti-TNP antibody responses when their spleen cells subsequently are challenged in vitro with TNP-coupled thymic independent or thymic dependent antigens. This neonatal priming effect was shown to occur in neonatal nu/nu mice and thus does not appear to require T lymphocytes. The primary explanation for the priming effect seems to be an increase of approximately 10-fold in the numbers of TNP-specific precursors of antibody-forming cells. The neonatal injection of TNP-AECM-Ficoll induces little or no antibody formation directly. It appears, therefore, that some thymic independent antigens can deliver a signal to immature B cells, which causes clonal expansion, but is unable to induce differentiation into antibody-forming cells.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000941:Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005362:Ficoll / Q000276:immunology; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D011247:Pregnancy; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology*; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology
D000941:Antigens; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes; D005362:Ficoll