The Mouse Mutant “Motheaten”

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Abstract
The developmental status of B and T lymphocytes was examined in the mouse mutant “Motheaten”. At all ages, these mice have reduced levels of B cells but similar levels of T cells, as compared to control littermates. Motheaten mice do not develop the mature forms of B cells that appear in control mice at about 3 weeks of age. Instead, B cells from motheaten mice are characterized by a paucity of surface IgD and complement receptors, defective capping behavior of surface Ig, and a decrease in the low-to-intermediate peak of fluorescence intensities seen with a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Unlike immature B cells from normal mice, immature B cells from motheaten mice are not inactivated by anti-Ig interactions in vitro. However, this may be due to an enhanced in vitro development of new Ig-positive cells. Finally, in vivo, motheaten mice show a spontaneous differentiation of B lymphocytes to Ig-secreting plasma cells, starting at about 3 weeks of age. Our current hypothesis is that the block in B cell development seen in motheaten mice may be apparent rather than real and instead may reflect an overall enhancement of the B cell developmental pathway. The lack of mature-type B cells in motheaten mice is thought to be due to a nonspecific influence driving them to the Ig-secreting plasma cell stage as soon as they are formed.

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