A role for adhesion molecules in contact-dependent T help for B cells.

The role of cell contact in T-dependent B cell activation was examined. Small resting B cells from C57BL/6 mice were cultured with CBA-derived, non-alloreactive cloned T helper cells in anti-T cell receptor V beta 8-coated microwells. This induced polyclonal B cell activation to enter cell cycle (as measured by thymidine incorporation at 2 days) and to secrete immunoglobulin (as measured by an enzyme-linked immunoassay detecting high-rate Ig secretion at 5 days). The inclusion of monoclonal antibodies against LFA-1. ICAM-1 and CD4 in these cultures strongly inhibited antibody responses, although proliferative responses were only inhibited to about 50%. Inhibitory monoclonal antibodies did not significantly affect lipopolysaccharide-induced responses. T cell activation to interleukin (IL) 3 secretion, nor did they inhibit the formation of multicellular clusters containing T and B cells. There was no correlation between the level of expression of adhesion molecules by T cells and their ability to induce B cell responses. Anti-LFA-1 abrogated T-dependent responses to IL2 which were inducible after 2 days in culture, but did not inhibit the induction of this IL2 responsiveness. These results suggest that continued cell contact involving adhesion/accessory molecules induces B cells to proliferate and to respond to T cell lymphokines. A signaling role for cell interaction molecules on B cells is proposed, similar to the role of these and analogous molecules on T cells.