title: Functional heterogeneity of nonresting B cells in human blood.
abstract: Among human peripheral blood B cells we localized the precursors of two interleukin-dependent B cell activation processes: the specific response to a particulate antigen, trinitrophenylated polyacrylamide beads (TNP-PAA) and the polyclonally induced response to pokeweed mitogen. In both cases the precursors belong to the OKB7+, sIgD-, mouse red blood cell- subpopulation. However, they differ when cell density, reflecting the stage of activation reached by B cells in peripheral blood, is considered. Only B cells of intermediate density respond to TNP-PAA, whereas the optimal response to pokeweed mitogen is obtained with the cells displaying the lower density. The lack of response of the more dense (resting) B cells to TNP-PAA suggests that the T dependency of this antigen is not based on linked recognition, and fits with our demonstration that this particulate antigen can trigger B cells in the presence of T cell factor. More importantly, our results show that nonresting B cells are functionally heterogeneous according to their degree of preactivation: the responsiveness to specific signals provided by a nonmitogenic hapten-carrier conjugate would be acquired before that to polyclonal activators.
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells; D006801:Humans; D007072:Immunoglobulin D / Q000032:analysis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D012397:Rosette Formation; D000099166:Polyacrylamides
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007072:Immunoglobulin D; C028795:trinitrophenyl polyacrylamide; D000099166:Polyacrylamides