title: Blastogenic factor production by guinea pig B lymphocytes stimulated with thymus-dependent antigen.
abstract: The purpose of the present paper is to determine whether antigen-stimulated B lymphocytes could produce blastogenic factor (BF) in the system of guinea pigs (strain 2) sensitized with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or ovalbumin (OVA), known as thymus-dependent antigen, and, further, whether macrophages (M phi) are required for antigen activation of B cells to produce this lymphokine. Additionally, the effect of BF on normal T and B cells was evaluated. B lymphocytes were purified by double nylon wool adherence, plastic dish adherence. Sephadex G-10 column passage and sedimentation of E rosette forming cells on Ficoll-Isopaque. KLH- or OVA-primed B lymphocytes as well as T lymphocytes could produce BF when stimulated with specific antigen in vitro, and M phi were required for antigen activation of both T and B cells to produce BF. The optimal BF production was observed at a T or B cells: M phi ratio of 1:0.1 (in the system of KLH sensitization) or 1:0.5 (in OVA sensitization). BF production by B cells appeared to be less than that by T cells. BF produced by B cells was able to stimulate both normal T and B cells to proliferate; the proliferative responses of normal B cells to both B-cell-derived BF and T-cell-derived BF were significantly greater than those of normal T cells to these BFs. Readdition of M phi was not required for the T or B cell response to BF.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006433:Hemocyanins; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D007376:Interleukin-2; D010047:Ovalbumin; D006433:Hemocyanins; C032808:keyhole-limpet hemocyanin