B cells capable of spontaneous IgG secretion in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with multiple sclerosis: dependency on local IL-6 production.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients contains B cells capable of spontaneous IgG secretion in vitro. This study analyses the function and regulation of these cells. CSF cells obtained from nine MS patients actively produced IgG during 2-3 days in culture, and the activity decreased when CSF cells were cultured in serum-free medium. CSF cells from four controls did not secrete detectable IgG in vitro. Further experiments revealed that IL-6 played a role on MS CSF IgG-secreting cells, as can be deduced from the following findings: (i) the addition of exogenous IL-6, but not of other cytokines, to serum-free cultures restored missing CSF cell IgG secretion (ii) the inclusion of anti-IL-6, but not of control, blocking MoAb reduced IgG secretion by CSF cells in fetal calf serum (FCS)-containing cultures; and (iii) CSF cells were capable of active IL-6 production in the presence of FCS. These results suggest that endogenous IL-6 production by MS CSF cells seems to be responsible for inducing CSF IgG-secreting B cells to reach terminal differentiation.
Perez
L
L
Servicio de Inmunología, Hospital Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain.
Alvarez-Cermeño
J C
JC
Rodriguez
C
C
Roldán
E
E
Brieva
J A
JA
D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology
D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015850:Interleukin-6