The class of surface immunoglobulin on virgin and memory B lymphocytes - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

. 1977 May;118(5):1806-15.

Review

The class of surface immunoglobulin on virgin and memory B lymphocytes

R L Coffman et al. J Immunol. 1977 May.

Abstract

The class of surface immunoglobulin receptors for antigen on B cell precursors of different classes of antibody-forming cells was determined by utilizing a technique of class-specific antigen suicide. Spleen cells are first treated with a class-specific antiserum under conditions that result in the stripping of that class from the cell surface. The cells are then permitted to bind a highly radioactive trinitrophenyl (TNP)-conjugated protein, which leads to lethal irradiation of all TNP-specific B cells except those whose TNP receptors had been removed by the class-specific stripping of surface immunoglobulin. In this way, the class of antibody-forming cells resulting from TNP stimulation of B cells with different classes of surface immunoglobulin can be examined. It was found that the virgin B cell precursors of IgM-producing cells are two types: cells bearing IgM receptors only and those bearing both IgM and IgD receptors. All virgin B cells that gave rise to IgG1 antibody-forming cells had both IgM and IgD on their surfaces, demonstrating that an antigen-dependent switch from IgM and IgD to IgG1 production is a common feature of B cell maturation. In contrast, memory B cell precursors of IgG1 antibody-forming cells had predominantly IgG1 as their surface antigen receptor. The implications of these findings on current models of B cell maturation are analyzed.

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