Resting B cells are not antigen-presenting cells in the induction of oral tolerance of specific Th2 immune responses in mice.
BACKGROUND
It has been shown that antigen presentation by resting B cells can induce tolerance to intravenously administered protein antigens, but the role of resting B cells in the induction of oral tolerance is unclear.


METHODS
Mice continuously treated since birth with rabbit anti-mouse IgM serum for 5 weeks were depleted of B cells. When 4 weeks old, B cell-depleted mice drank 10% chicken egg white (EW) for 5 days. Ten weeks later, they were immunized with 10 microgram of ovalbumin in alum and their T helper 2 (Th2) immune responses were tested.


RESULTS
Th2 cell-mediated IgE and IgG1 antibody responses and spleen cell production of IL-4 and IL-5 were suppressed by prior EW feeding during anti-IgM treatment. When anti-IgM-treated spleen cells collected 1 week after EW ingestion were transferred to naïve recipients, active suppression of Th2 immune responses was also demonstrated.


CONCLUSIONS
Although resting small B cells aggregate in the mantle zone of follicles of intestinal Peyer's patches, the present data suggest that they are not antigen-presenting cells in the induction of oral tolerance of Th2 immune responses to oral antigens.
Peng
H J
HJ
Department of Medical Research, Veterans General Hospital - Taipei, Taiwan. hjpeng@vghtpe.gov.tw
Chang
Z N
ZN
Kuo
S W
SW
Lee
C C
CC
Tzau
Y Y
YY
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003207:Conalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007114:Immunization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009113:Muramidase / Q000276:immunology; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D010059:Ovomucin / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; C044203:anti-IgM; D003207:Conalbumin; D010059:Ovomucin; D010047:Ovalbumin; D009113:Muramidase