Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1981 Feb 1;153(2):339–351. doi: 10.1084/jem.153.2.339

Human B lymphocyte subsets. I. IgG-bearing B cell response to pokeweed mitogen

PMCID: PMC2186092  PMID: 7017061

Abstract

The subset of B lymphocytes having IgG on their surfaces was purified from human spleen and blood using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). This subset constituted about 15% of B lymphocytes. The remaining non-IgG-bearing B cells were also obtained for study. These two populations were examined for (a) their expression of other surface immunoglobulin isotypes, (b) their ability to give rise to IgG- and IgM- secreting (plaque-forming) cells in a pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-driven culture system, and (c) their ability to proliferate in response to PWM stimulation. The results of these studies indicate that most IgG- bearing B cells also express surface IgM and IgD. Less than 15% had only IgG. The IgG-positive cell gave rise to both IgG and IgM plaque- forming cells when driven by PWM, and in fact were responsible for most of the total plaque response in both the IgG and IgM classes. The non- IgG-bearing B cells were depleted of both IgG and IgM responsiveness. The failure of the non-IgG-bearing B cells to give a strong response to PWM did not appear to be due to either depletion of accessory cells or to any suppressive influence. Finally, proliferation studies indicated that both the IgG-bearing and the non-IgG-bearing cells proliferated in the presence of PWM with a somewhat stronger proliferative response in the IgG-bearing cells. These results demonstrate that the IgG-bearing cell is not irreversibly committed to IgG production but can also give rise to IgM-secreting cells, and that human PWM-driven immunoglobulin secretory responses are predominantly due to a numerically small subset of B cells.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (789.0 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ault K. A., Unanue E. R. Comparison of the two types of immunoglobulin-bearing lymphocytes in human blood with regard to capping and motility. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1977 May;7(3):394–404. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(77)90074-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ault K. A., Unanue E. R. Failure of B lymphocytes in human blood to regenerate surface immunoglobulin after its removal by antibody. J Immunol. 1977 Jul;119(1):327–329. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ault K. A., Weiner H. L. Isolation and characterization of the class of human blood lymphocytes responsible for antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1978 Sep;11(1):60–76. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(78)90204-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chiorazzi N., Fu S. M., Kunkel H. G. Stimulation of human B lymphocytes by antibodies to IgM and IgG: functional evidence for the expression of IgG on B-lymphocyte surface membranes. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1980 Mar;15(3):301–313. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(80)90042-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Coffman R. L., Cohn M. The class of surface immunoglobulin on virgin and memory B lymphocytes. J Immunol. 1977 May;118(5):1806–1815. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cooper M. D., Kubagawa H., Vogler L. B., Kearney J. F., Lawton A. R. Generation of clonal and isotype diversity. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1978;107:9–17. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-3369-2_2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fauci A. S. Human B cell function in a polyclonally induced plaque forming cell system. Cell triggering and immunoregulation. Immunol Rev. 1979;45:93–116. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1979.tb00274.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Finkelman F. D., Lipsky P. E. The role of cell membrane immunoglobulin in primate B lymphocyte differentiation. Immunol Rev. 1979;45:117–139. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1979.tb00275.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fu S. M., Winchester R. J., Kunkel H. G. Similar idiotypic specificity for the membrane IgD and IgM of human B lymphocytes. J Immunol. 1975 Jan;114(1 Pt 1):250–252. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Gronowicz E. S., Doss C., Assisi F., Vitetta E. S., Coffman R. L., Strober S. Surface Ig isotypes on cells responding to lipopolysaccharide by IgM and IgG secretion. J Immunol. 1979 Nov;123(5):2049–2056. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gronowicz E. S., Doss C., Schröder J. Activation to IgG secretion by lipopolysaccharide requires several proliferation cycles. J Immunol. 1979 Nov;123(5):2057–2062. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gronowicz E., Coutinho A., Melchers F. A plaque assay for all cells secreting Ig of a given type or class. Eur J Immunol. 1976 Aug;6(8):588–590. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830060812. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mason D. W. The class of surface immunoglobulin on cells carrying IgG memory in rat thoracic duct lymph: the size of the subpopulation mediating IgG memory. J Exp Med. 1976 May 1;143(5):1122–1130. doi: 10.1084/jem.143.5.1122. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Okumura K., Julius M. H., Tsu T., Herzenberg L. A., Herzenberg L. A. Demonstration that IgG memory is carried by IgG-bearing cells. Eur J Immunol. 1976 Jul;6(7):467–472. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830060704. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pierce C. W., Solliday S. M., Asofsky R. Immune responses in vitro. IV. Suppression of primary M, G, and A plaque-forming cell responses in mouse spleen cell cultures by class-specific antibody to mouse immunoglobulins. J Exp Med. 1972 Mar 1;135(3):675–697. doi: 10.1084/jem.135.3.675. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Rowe D. S., Hug K., Forni L., Pernis B. Immunoglobulin D as a lymphocyte receptor. J Exp Med. 1973 Oct 1;138(4):965–972. doi: 10.1084/jem.138.4.965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Vitetta E. S., Forman J., Kettman J. R. Cell surface immunoglobulin. XVIII. Functional differences of B lymphocytes bearing different surface immunoglobulin isotypes. J Exp Med. 1976 May 1;143(5):1055–1065. doi: 10.1084/jem.143.5.1055. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Winchester R. J., Fu S. M., Hoffman T., Kunkel H. G. IgG on lymphocyte surfaces; technical problems and the significance of a third cell population. J Immunol. 1975 Apr;114(4):1210–1212. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Yuan D., Vitetta E. S., Kettman J. R. Cell surface immunoglobulin. XX. Antibody responsiveness of subpopulations of B lymphocytes bearing different isotypes. J Exp Med. 1977 Jun 1;145(6):1421–1435. doi: 10.1084/jem.145.6.1421. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Zan-Bar I., Strober S., Vitetta E. S. The relationship between surface immunoglobulin isotype and immune function of murine B lymphocytes. I. Surface immunoglobulin isotypes on primed B cells in the spleen. J Exp Med. 1977 May 1;145(5):1188–1205. doi: 10.1084/jem.145.5.1188. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Zan-Bar I., Strober S., Vitetta E. S. The relationship between surface immunoglobulin isotype and immune function of murine B lymphocytes. IV. Role of IgD-bearing cells in the propagation of immunologic memory. J Immunol. 1979 Aug;123(2):925–930. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Zan-Bar I., Vitetta E. S., Assisi F., Strober S. The relationship between surface immunoglobulin isotype and immune function of murine B lymphocytes. III. Expression of a single predominant isotype on primed and unprimed B cells. J Exp Med. 1978 May 1;147(5):1374–1394. doi: 10.1084/jem.147.5.1374. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Zan-Bar I., Vitetta E. S., Strober S. The relationship between surface immunoglobulin isotype and immune function of murine B lymphocytes II. Surface immunoglobulin isotopes on unprimed B cells in the spleen. J Exp Med. 1977 May 1;145(5):1206–1215. doi: 10.1084/jem.145.5.1206. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES