Tolerance induction in maturing B cells.

A two-stage tissue culture system was used to test the concept of clonal abortion as a mechanism for tolerance induction in B cells. In the first stage, neonatal spleen cells or bone marrow cells were cultured for 72 h under conditions in which B-cell neogenesis occurred. Haptens coupled to various carriers, were introduced during this stage. Following this culture phase, the cells were washed and their competence to respond to hapten-POL was measured in microcultures where feedback effects were minimized. The results indicated that immature B cells were specially susceptible to tolerance but that the conditions under which hapten was presented were also important in determining the outcome of the cell-antigen encounter.