Antigen requirements for induction of B-memory cells: studies with dinitrophenyl coupled to T-dependent and T-independent carriers.

Mice were primed with dinitrophenyl (DNP) (trinitrophenyl, TNP) coupled to thymus-independent (TI) or thymus-dependent (TD) carriers. B cells from these mice were transferred to irradiated recipients with T cells from keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH)-primed mice. After secondary immunization with DNP-KLH a significant DNP-specific IgG memory response was produced only by mice which received B cells which had been primed with TD antigens. TI antigens were unable to induce differentiation of B-cell precursors to IgG producing memory B cells but they did not suppress the induction of B-memory cells by TD antigens. The results indicate that TI antigens fail to activate a cell type which is required for the induction of memory B cells.