title: Differences in the B cell interferon responses to lipopolysaccharide and poly I:C.
abstract: Two polyclonal B cell activators, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and poly I:C, have been used to induce interferon (IFN) production by murine B cell populations. The results show that splenic B cell-enriched fractions, isolated by wheat germ agglutination followed by C-dependent anti-Thy 1.2 cytolysis, respond to treatment with poly I:C + DEAE-dextran by IFN production at levels comparable on a per cell basis to unfractionated spleen cells. By contrast, the LPS-stimulated IFN response of these same B cell fractions is either undetectable or substantially lower than that of spleen cells; although the B cell fractions appear fully capable of LPS-induced proliferation. Consistent with this pattern of splenic B cell IFN responses, two antibody-secreting hybridoma lines and two myeloma cell lines (including the parental myeloma of the hybrid) can be stimulated by poly I:C + DEAE-dextran to produce IFN; yet these same B cell lines do not synthesize IFN in response to LPS at doses from 1-100 micrograms/ml. The level of poly I:C-induced IFN secreted by the hybridomas are approximately 10-fold greater than that produced by the unfused parental myeloma cells. Not only do these results directly demonstrate that murine lymphocytes of the B cell lineage produce IFN in response to the B cell activator poly I:C, but these observations also strongly suggest that the IFN responses of the B cell tumor lines model the IFN producing capacity of splenic B cells. Moreover, since the hybridoma cell lines and one of the myeloma lines synthesize specific antibody molecules, these observations show that the progeny of a single B cell clone can synthesize and secrete both IFN and immunoglobulin.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D007369:Interferon Inducers; D007372:Interferons / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D011070:Poly I-C / Q000494:pharmacology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007369:Interferon Inducers; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D007372:Interferons; D011070:Poly I-C