Presentation of antigen by B cells subsets. I. Lyb-5+ and Lyb-5- B cells differ in ability to stimulate antigen specific T cells.

We have examined the antigen presenting cell (APC) function of different B cells. Resident, peritoneal B cells from normal mice were more efficient than splenic B cells in presenting antigen to CD4+ T cell lines. Peritoneal B cells from X-linked immunodeficient (Xid) mice, by contrast, stimulated no detectable responses. Xid splenic B cells were much less efficient APC than normal splenic B cells. B cells from neonatal mice also were very poor APC until the mice were 3 to 4 weeks old. Xid B cells presented antigen to T cell hybridomas as well as normal B cells showing that they process antigen normally. Thus, the defect is most likely in providing secondary signals. The ability of B cells to present antigen efficiently correlates with the percentage of B cells reported to express the Lyb-5 antigen. Anti-Lyb-5 serum and complement abrogated the APC activity of B cells suggesting that Lyb-5+, but not Lyb-5- cells are efficient APC. We also found that activated and resting normal splenic B cells, separated by buoyant density, presented antigen equally. Both populations also contained Lyb-5+ B cells although they were a larger fraction of the activated cells. Lyb-5 is now thought to be an activation antigen rather than a differentiation antigen. If this idea is correct, then our data indicate that anti-Lyb-5 more cleanly separates activated and resting B cells than buoyant density techniques.