Role of membrane receptors in the induction of an in vitro secondary anti-hapten response. I. differentiation of B memory cells to plasma cells is independent of antigen-immunoglobulin receptor interaction.

In these experiments, we show that the interaction of antigen and B cell surface immunoglobulin is not essential for the generation of an IgG in vitro response to the hapten p-azophenyl-lactoside (lac). In our experimental system, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was first selectively attached either to H-2, Ia or Ig receptors of lac-primed B cells by a hapten sandwich technique or to Fc receptors by complexes of azophenyl arsonate (ars)-coupled KLH and anti-ars. The labeled cells were then cultured with KLH-specific T cells for 5 days in the absence of antigen. Under all conditions of attachment we observed a significant anti-lac IgG response. We have demonstrated an absolute requirement for KLH-specific helper T cells. The results thus indicate that T helper cells are by themselves, regardless of the B cell antigen that serves to effect bridging, sufficient to activate B memory cells. We could find no evidence to support either a matrix theory or a two-signal hypothesis as currently proposed.