Polyclonal B Cell Activation by Cell Wall Preparations of Gram‐Positive Bacteria

Abstract

The effects of polyclonal B cell activation (PBA) of cell walls and their cell wall fractions obtained from several kinds of gram‐positive bacteria were studied using the anti‐sheep red blood cell (SRBC) or anti‐trinitrophenylated (TNP) SRBC plaque forming cell (PFC) responses of cultured spleen cells from Balb/c, athymic nu/nu, their littermates (nu/+), C3H/He (LPS‐responder), C3H/HeJ (LPS‐non‐responder), (CBA/N × Balb/c) F1 male with an X‐linked defect in B cell function and the F1 female mice. The cell walls of Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 155), Lactobacillus plantarum (ATCC 8014), Micrococcus lysodeikticus (NCTC 2665), Mycobacterium rhodochrous (ATCC 184), Streptomyces gardneri (ATCC 23911) and Nocardia corynebacteriodes (ATCC 14898) had the ability to induce polyclonal B cell responses in the spleen cells of Balb/c, nu/nu, nu/+, C3H/He and C3H/HeJ mice. The cell wall fractions prepared by enzymatic digestion from the cell walls of S. epidermidis, S. gardneri or N. corynebacteriodes were also capable of inducing polyclonal B cell responses. The responses of spleen cells from (CBA/N × Balb/c) F1 male mice to these active preparations, except the cell walls of M. rhodochrous, were much lower than those of the F1 female mice. These findings indicate that the majority of the cell wall preparations lacks PBA ability for spleen cells with the CBA/N defect, except for the cell walls of M. rhodochrous which possess this ability. The PBA‐ability of synthetic peptidoglycan, muramyl dipeptide (N‐acetylmuramyl‐L‐alanyl‐D‐isoglutamine, MDP), was also examined, and a similar activity was observed in MDP.

Polyclonal Antibody Production in Murine Spleen Cells Induced by Staphylococcus

“…Furthermore, the number of anti-TNP-SRBC PFC generated polyclonally in the cultures of nu/nu spleen cells was always greater than that of nu/ + spleen cell .cultures. This is in agreement with results shown in our previous paper (30). The absence of mature T lymphocytes in nu/nu mice may be associated with the generation of PFC in their spleen cell cultures.…”

“…Congenitally athymic nude (nu/nu) mice, their heterozygous littermates (nu/ +) on Balb/c genetic background, Balb/c, C3H/He and C3H/HeJ mice were used in the experiments. Derivation of these strains was described in a previous paper (30). All of these mice were bred in our animal colony.…”

The pathogenesis of group a streptococcal cell wall‐induced polyarthritis in the rat comparative studies in arthritis resistant and susceptible inbred rat strains

“…For example, they may initiate acute inflammation by direct activation of the alternative pathway of the complement system (1). They may also directly activate macrophages (immunoadjuvant activity) and indirectly modulate the activity of T and B lymphocytes, fibroblasts, and other cells involved in acute and chronic inflammation (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). Moreover, these polyclonal activators may also preferentially induce autoantibodies such as rheumatoid factor (8-9).…”

Pneumococcal cell wall phosphorylcholine elicits polyclonal antibody secretion in mice

“…Increase in antibodies that bind TNP [2,7,8,44] or SRBC [ 7 , 8, 101 are often used to demonstrate a polyclonal antibody response. The polyclonal activators bacterial lipopolysaccharide [44], and many other bacterial cell wall preparations [8] stimulate substantial increases in anti-TNP and anti-SRBC PFC.…”

“…The polyclonal activators bacterial lipopolysaccharide [44], and many other bacterial cell wall preparations [8] stimulate substantial increases in anti-TNP and anti-SRBC PFC. In our system, insignificant increases in anti-TNP and anti-SRBC PFC occurred by day 3 after immunization and constituted less than 1% of the total PFC population (Fig.…”