IgG anti-tetanus toxoid antibody production induced by Epstein-Barr virus from B cells of human marrow transplant recipients

IgG anti-tetanus toxoid antibody synthesis by human bone marrow. I. Two distinct populations of marrow B cells and functional differences between marrow and peripheral blood B cells

This investigation uses a system for inducing and detecting anti-tetanus toxoid antibody (anti-TT) synthesis to study specific antibody (Ab) synthesis by bone marrow mononuclear cells (MC). We measured the amounts of anti-TT secreted and the number of B cells secreting antibody (Ab). The ELISA plaque detects single B cells secreting specific Ab. The results show that (1) spontaneous anti-TT secretion by MC is higher than spontaneous anti-TT secretion by peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) using an ELISA plaque (P less than 0.01); (2) spontaneous anti-TT production by MC correlated with the serum anti-TT titers as measured by an ELISA (r = 0.75, P = 0.005); (3) two types of marrow B cells were identified--one that spontaneously secretes anti-TT and another that produces anti-TT after TT-stimulation; (4) the frequency of anti-TT-secreting B cells is higher in MC than in PBL; (5) the amount of Ab secreted per marrow B cell is not different from that secreted by a peripheral B cell; and (6) marrow B cells could be induced to produce anti-TT in vitro up to 10 months without added cytokines. These results show that bone marrow is a major repository for differentiated B cells that spontaneously produce Abs to maintain circulating Abs titers and for memory B cells that can be induced to produce specific Ab.

Monoclonal antibody to blood group glycosyltransferases, produced by hybrids constructed with Epstein-Barr-virus-transformed B lymphocytes from a patient with ABO-incompatible bone marrow transplant and mouse myeloma cells

A patient with chronic myeloid leukemia secreted an antibody to blood group glycosyltransferases after ABO-incompatible bone marrow transplantation (B recipient/O donor). Peripheral B lymphocytes from the recipient were transformed with Epstein-Barr virus, and then fused by polyethylene glycol with mouse myeloma cell line P3-X63/Ag8.653. After the cloning of the hybridoma cells, a cell line which produced human IgM antibody to blood group glycosyltransferases was established. The antibody completely neutralized B transferase activity at low concentration, while a larger amount of immunoglobulins was required to neutralize A transferase activity.