Tumor promoter phorbol myristic acetate stimulates immunoglobulin secretion correlated with growth cessation in human B lymphocyte cell lines.

Immunoglobulin production by lymphoblast cell lines was studies using protein A-red blood cell plaque formation to detect individual secreting cells. Immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion by 6 of 12 human B-cell lines tested could be stimulated up to twentyfold by phorbol myristic acetate (PMA) at subtoxic concentrations of 10-1000 ng/ml depending on the line. Stimulation was found with both IgM and IgG cell lines. No switch of Ig class synthesis was found in the cell lines as a result of PMA incubation. Increase in Ig secretion was closely associated with cessation of growth resembling induction of terminal differentiation in the cells. PMA induction of Ig secretion in B lymphocytes from normal peripheral blood requires the cooperation of T cells. PMA stimulation of certain cell lines reported here suggests that the lines are late in the differentiation pathway to plasmacyte and can be easily triggered to secrete Ig by membrane-altering agents.