2,4‐Dinitrophenyl (DNP)‐specific continuous B cell lines as a model system for studying B cell activation and tolerance

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Abstract
Various model systems have been used to study isolated B cell response to receptor cross‐linking and to lymphokines. Although each model is useful it is advantageous to have continuous cell lines of nonmalignant antigen‐specific B lymphocytes to study antigen‐induced B cell function. We further studied the characteristics of the 2,4‐dinitrophenyl (DNP)‐specific continuous B lymphocyte lines which we previously described (J. Exp. Med. 1983. 157: 342). If the cell line lymphocytes are cultured with the antigen DNP‐Ficoll without the presence of T cell factors or filler cells they do not produce an immune response above background, but the addition of supernatant from EL4 lymphoma and irradiated normal spleen filler cells results in a 7‐ to 10‐fold increase in plaque‐forming cells. The kinetics of the immune response is the same as that seen with normal B cells. Each cell line has a majority of cells which are small surface (s)IgM− lymphocytes which have cytoplasmic IgM and react with 14.8 antibody. There are also large sIgM+‐bearing cells, which may be either in the resting or activated state. Some of the sIgM+ cells also bear IgD and Ia antigens but they do not bear IgG. From these studies we conclude that the continuously growing antigen‐specific B cell lines can be a useful model to study B cell function.