Regulation of B cell growth and differentiation via CD21 and CD40

Stimulation in vitro of murine splenic B cells by lipopolysaccharide, anti-ϰ Sepharose, anti-CD40 or allo-reactive T helper cells all up-regulated CD21 and CD23 surface expression. Neither anti-CD21 nor anti-CD23 antibodies induced B cell growth or differentiation when added in soluble form or coupled to Sepharose. However, anti-CD40-stimulated B cells showed increased proliferation in the presence of anti-CD21 antibodies coupled to Sepharose; co-stimulation via CD21 also induced differentiation to immunoglobulin secretion in a fraction of anti-CD40-stimulated B cells. Furthermore, anti-CD40 antibodies inhibited differentiation to immunoglobulin secretion induced by lipopolysaccharide and, hence, appears to be a dominant negative signal for B cell differentiation.