title: Sera used for complement-mediated cytolysis can alter B cell function in vitro.
abstract: Nonspecific effects of reagents used to selectively isolate lymphocyte subpopulations are most often analyzed according to their influence on cell viability and proliferation. While characterizing monoclonal anti-human B cell antibodies, we detected consistent changes in B cell function between individual donors, no matter which antibody was employed to deplete B cell subpopulations. The source of these alterations was traced to the commercial complement-containing sera used for cytolysis. Different lots of serum from 3 separate commercial vendors and 2 animal species (rabbit and guinea pig) routinely altered B lymphocyte differentiation after stimulation with either pokeweed mitogen or Staphylococcus aureus (Cowan I), while cell viability, lymphocyte subpopulation distribution, and proliferative responses were unaffected.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D001790:Blood Physiological Phenomena; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002470:Cell Survival; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic / Q000379:methods*; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D003165:Complement System Proteins