Enrichment of antigen-specific B lymphocytes by the direct removal of B cells not bearing specificity for the antigen.

Antigen-specific B cells (ASC) were purified from other B cells by prior incubation with specific antigen followed by rosetting with erythrocytes conjugated with anti-mouse Ig and sedimenting on Ficoll-Isopaque. This procedure allowed the removal of most of the B cells, while those speicifc for the antigen used in incubation were retained. Relative to the B-cell content, ASC were enriched 64- to 132-fold. The method is highly specific in that B cells primed to two different antigens, turkey gamma globulin and sheep erythrocytes, could be separated from each other. The advantages of this indirect purification procedure over purification procedures which obtain ASC directly are the simplicity of obtaining the ASC and the ability of the ASC of respond to antigen without the addition of other cells.