An evaluation of antigen-driven expansion and differentiation of hapten-specific B lymphocytes purified from aged mice.
Hapten-specific, trinitrophenyl antigen-binding B cells (TNP-ABC) were purified from inbred strains of mice representative of short-, intermediate-, and long-lived animals. Such populations of B cells were stimulated by either thymus-independent or thymus-dependent antigens in vitro and evaluated for both proliferation and differentiation into antibody-secreting cells. In the thymus-dependent system, the three strains of mice were selected on the basis of all being able to interact appropriately with the same T helper cell line. The results indicate that TNP-ABC purified from aged animals of all three strains responded to both forms of antigenic stimulation similar to TNP-ABC selected from young, littermate control animals. These results are discussed in terms of concepts of intrinsic B cell defects during the aging process.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D051379:Mice; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology
D000941:Antigens; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent; D006241:Haptens; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes