Ontogenic development of autoantibody repertoires in spleen and peritoneal cavity of normal mice: examples of T cell-dependent and -independent reactivities.
The ontogenic development of B cell clonal precursors (BCP) reactive to bromelain-treated, syngeneic erythrocytes (BrMRC) and to single-stranded DNA has been studied by limiting dilution of both spleen and peritoneal cells. It was found that the frequency of anti-BrMRC BCP in the spleen is very low up to 4 weeks of age and slowly increases thereafter, to reach adult levels by 6-10 weeks. In the peritoneal cavity, no such BCP can be found before 2 weeks, but they occur at a very high frequency already by 3 weeks of age. Injection of adult, normal syngeneic T cells at birth has no apparent effect on the representation of anti-BrMRC BCP in the peritoneal cavity, but brings these to adult levels or even higher in the spleen already at 3 weeks of age. Accordingly, adult athymic (nude) mice contain normal frequencies of BrMRC-specific BCP in the peritoneal cavity but are devoid of such clones in the spleen. In contrast, the frequency of anti-DNA BCP is very high throughout postnatal development in both spleen and peritoneal cavity, of normal and athymic mice, in both resting and naturally activated splenic B cell compartments, and it is independent of T cell transfers into nude animals. These results indicate the role of T cells in the establishment of some clonal specificities in the adult, splenic autoreactive B cell repertoire.
Huetz
F
F
Laboratory of Immunobiology, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France.
Poncet
P
P
Coutinho
A
A
Portnoï
D
D
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010529:Peritoneal Cavity / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000955:Antigens, T-Independent; D001323:Autoantibodies; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded