Discontinuous expression of a membrane antigen (HB-7) during B lymphocyte differentiation |
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| Authors: | Thomas F. Tedder Loran T. Clement Max D. Cooper |
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| Affiliation: | The Cellular Immunobiology Unit of the Tumor Institute, Department of Pediatrics and Microbiology, and The Comprehensive Cancer Center University of Alabama in Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | We have examined the expression of a cell surface antigen by B lineage cells in human fetuses, newborns and adults using a newly produced monoclonal antibody, HB-7. The HB-7 antigen was found to be a protease sensitive 45,000 MW molecule that appeared to be the same molecule recognized by the OKT-10 antibody. The HB-7 reactive molecule was expressed by all fetal pre-B and B cells, and 50% of newborn blood and adult bone marrow B cells. In contrast, only a small minority of B cells (2–12%) from blood, spleen and tonsil of adults were weakly HB-7+. The pokeweed mitogen-responsive B cell precursors of plasma cells were also HB-7−, but the HB-7 antigen was re-expressed during the plasma cell stage. We conclude that this antigen is unique among known B cell differentiation antigens in its intermittent pattern of expression during B cell development. The reactivity of the HB-7 antibody with immature, but not mature, B cells makes it well suited for studies of B cell ontogeny. |
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