T cell-induced B cell blasts differentiate into plasma cells when cultured on bone marrow stroma with IL-3 and IL-10.

B lymphocytes activated by T cells in secondary lymphoid organs mature into plasma cells after migration into the medullary cords of these organs, mucosal lamina propria or bone marrow. To analyze each step leading to plasma cell generation, we set up a two-step culture system of purified tonsillar B cells. In a primary stage, B cell blasts were generated by co-culturing B cells with an irradiated T cell clone activated with immobilized anti-CD3. In a secondary step, culturing these blasts on bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) induced them to secrete large amounts of IgG, as well as some IgM and IgA. Other fibroblast-like cell lines were less efficient at sustaining the differentiation of blasts into Ig-secreting cells, suggesting that these are specific properties of BMSC. Addition of IL-3 and IL-10 further stimulated IgG secretion by B cell blasts cultured on BMSC, mostly the IgG1 subclass. These two cytokines probably acted through different pathways, as (i) the effect of IL-3 but not IL-10 was dependent upon prolonged T cell pre-activation and (ii) their combined stimulatory effect was additive. B cell blasts cultured on BMSC with a combination of IL-3 and IL-10 differentiated into non-proliferating plasma cells as determined by poor thymidine incorporation, typical cellular morphology, intense expression of intracytoplasmic Igs, very high levels of surface CD38 and lack of surface CD20.