Differentiation from thymic B cell progenitors to mature B cells in vitro.
The role of the thymic microenvironment in the development of murine thymic B cells has yet to be fully clarified. We therefore investigate the microenvironment that supports the development of mature thymic B cells (sIg+/B220+/CD43-B cells) from thymic B cell progenitors with immunophenotypes of sIg-/B220med/CD43+ cells. As we have previously reported, thymic B cells generated from these progenitors in the thymus are CD5+ B cells. We next study the in vitro condition that supports the differentiation of thymic B cell progenitors. Stromal cells (from the bone marrow or thymus), thymus-derived cell lines with the character of thymic nurse cells (TNCs) or thymic epithelial cells (TECs), or the bone marrow-derived cell line (MS-5) are tested for their ability to support B-lymphopoiesis from thymic B cell progenitors. Interestingly, thymic stromal cells (but neither stromal cells from the bone marrow nor stromal cell lines) support the differentiation of thymic B cell progenitors into thymic B cells in the presence of IL-7. Cortical epithelia (but not medullary epithelia, thymic macrophages or dendritic cells) are found to contribute to thymic B cell differentiation. Surface phenotype and Ig rearrangement analyses reveal that mature B cells generated in this condition are primarily CD5+ B cells, indicating that the thymic microenvironment (particularly cortical epithelia) determines the differentiation of thymic B cells.
Sugihara
A
A
First Department of Pathology, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi City, Osaka, Japan.
Inaba
M
M
Mori
S I
SI
Taketani
S
S
Adachi
Y
Y
Hisha
H
H
Inaba
K
K
Toki
J
J
Horio
T
T
Gershwin
M E
ME
Ikehara
S
S
D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018956:CD5 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000494:pharmacology; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D051917:Leukosialin; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000032:analysis; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
D015703:Antigens, CD; D018956:CD5 Antigens; D015851:Interleukin-7; D051917:Leukosialin; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; C497863:Spn protein, mouse; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens