title: The role of cytoplasmic free calcium concentration in B-cell tolerance.
abstract: Calcium is an important factor in the immune response. Extracellular calcium is required for antibody production by B lymphocytes. Several investigators have demonstrated that crosslinking of receptors on B lymphocytes by anti-mu antibody induces an increase in intracellular calcium. There are few data on the role of intracellular calcium mobilization or calcium influx in tolerance induction in B cells. We studied changes in free intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca+2]i) induced by exposure of dinitrophenyl (DNP)-specific B cells to the tolerance-inducing conjugate DNP-murine IgG2a (DNP-MGG). Splenic B cells enriched for DNP-specific cells and DNP-specific continuous B-cell lines were used for the studies. Exposure of B cells to the tolerogen DNP-MGG, the antigen DNP-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (DNP-KLH), or the antigen DNP-Ficoll induced an increase in free [Ca+2]i which was due to both mobilization of Ca+2 from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and influx of extracellular Ca+2. This increase was DNP specific since no significant change was seen with carriers alone and no change was seen in cells that were not DNP specific. The DNP-MGG and DNP-Ficoll induced the same amount of Ca+2 release from ER but the release induced by DNP-KLH was higher. When B cells, which were made tolerant by in vitro incubation with DNP-MGG, were incubated with antigens, a mobilization of Ca+2 from endoplasmic reticulum occurred that was the same as that of nontolerant B cells. Since Ca+2 mobilization is associated with Ig receptor-dependent early B-cell activation, it is likely that the tolerant B cell can still receive an activation signal through the Ig receptors.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000502:physiology; D004136:Dinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology; D006433:Hemocyanins / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D004136:Dinitrobenzenes; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D006433:Hemocyanins; D002118:Calcium