title: Role of accessory cells in B cell activation. I. Macrophage presentation of TNP-Ficoll: evidence for macrophage-B cell interaction.
abstract: The importance of cell interaction for thymic independent antigen responses has not been widely appreciated. The present report demonstrates, however, that macrophage-B cell interaction may be an important feature of B ce-l activation for the response to at least one polysaccharide thymic independent antigen, TNP-Ficoll. Experiments were performed demonstrating that a strict accessory cell requirement exists for the thymic independent response to soluble TNP-Ficoll, and that such accessory cells are both adherent and phagocytic, that is, macrophages. It was further demonstrated that macrophages could be pulsed with TNP-Ficoll and that these pulsed macrophages could activate B cells to respond, but only if the pulsed macrophages were viable. Thus, one function that macrophages can fulfill in responses to TNP-Ficoll is the specific function of antigen presentation. Such presentation of TNP-Ficoll by macrophages to B cells suggests that the antigen may not be activating B cells directly, and raises the possibility that the interaction of B cells and macrophages might be genetically restricted.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002450:Cell Communication; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival; D005362:Ficoll / Q000276:immunology*; D005470:Fluorometry; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009578:Nitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology*; D010586:Phagocytes / Q000276:immunology; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D012995:Solubility; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D009578:Nitrobenzenes; D011134:Polysaccharides; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes; D005362:Ficoll