B-memory cells can be stimulated by antigen in vitro to become IgG antibody-secreting cells.

Whereas DNP-KLH primed mouse spleen cells fail to show the high IgG anti DNP levels characteristic of an anamnestic immune response when cultured for 5 days under Mishell-Dutton conditions, we show here that such a response can be observed after 8--10 days in vitro using modified Marbrook culture vessels. The kinetics of this secondary response in vitro resemble that described elsewhere for the adotpive secondary immune response in irradiated recipients, and show that insignificant numbers of IgG PFC can be expected before 6 days of culture. This timing is governed by the maturation state of B cells at the start of culture, and was not accelerated by the addition of recently boosted carrier primed spleen cells. We conclude that the deficit in IgG PFC numbers that characterizes Mishell-Dutton cultures of cells primed 2--4 months previously is due to the shortage of time during which such cultures can maintain lymphocyte division and maturation.