T lymphocyte-dependent B lymphocyte proliferative response to antigen. I Genetic restriction of the stimulation of B lymphocyte proliferation.

For the purpose of examining more closely the interaction between T and B lymphocytes, we have developed an in vitro T lymphocyte-dependent B lymphocyte proliferation assay. Proliferation of B lymphocytes in response to antigen was found to depend on the presence of primed T lymphocytes; the B lymphocytes could be derived from nonprimed animals. It appears that these B cells were nonspecifically recruited to proliferate. This nonspecific recruitment, however, was found to be Ir-gene restricted in that B lymphocytes from B10.S mice, which are genetic nonresponders to the polymer Glu60-Ala30-Tyr10 (GAT), could not be stimulated by GAT-primed (responder X nonresponder) F1 T cells. The apparent lack of antigen specificity in the face of Ir gene-restricted T-B interaction may have important implications in our understanding of the recognition unit(s) on T lymphocytes.