title: A regulatory role for the memory B cell as suppressor-inducer of feedback control.
abstract: A regulatory role is proposed for the antigen-responsive B cell, as suppressor-inducer of feedback control during the secondary response in vivo. In a double adoptive transfer of memory cells primed to a thymus-dependent antigen from one irradiated host to another, antigen-specific suppressors are generated after a critical time in the primary recipient, able to entirely ablate a secondary anti-hapten response. Positive cell selection in the fluorescence-activated cell sorter confirmed that suppression was mediated by an Lyt-2+ T cell; however, positively selected B cells were also inhibitory and able to induce suppressors in a carrier-specific manner: Bhapten induced suppressors in a carrier-primed population, and Bcarrier induced suppressors in a hapten-carrier population. At the peak of the antibody response in the primary host, memory B cells and their progeny were unable to differentiate further to plasma cells due to their intrinsic suppressor-inducer activity, but this autoregulatory circuit could be severed by adoptive transfer to carrier-primed, X-irradiated recipients.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000276:immunology; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes; D005246:Feedback; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D011828:Radiation Chimera; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D006241:Haptens; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens