Journal of Clinical Immunology

, Volume 5, Issue 4, pp 254–260 | Cite as

Circulating activated B cells in primary biliary cirrhosis

  • S. P. James
  • E. A. Jones
  • J. H. Hoofnagle
  • W. Strober
Original Articles
Accepted:

Abstract

Since patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) have evidence of abnormal function of the humoral immune system, we determined if B cells from patients with this disease show evidence of activation and can be stimulated by polyclonal activators. Using a reverse hemolytic plaque assay, it was found that patients with PBC had a significant increase in the number of circulating immunoglobulin-secreting cells, compared to normal controls and patients with chronic type B hepatitis virus (HBV) infection. However, the total number of activated cells was less than 1% of the total circulating B-cell population. Furthermore, we were unable to detect an increase in the expression of transferrin receptors, a membrane receptor associated with B-cell activation, in the majority of B cells in patients with PBC. In other studies, immunoglobulin production by lymphocytes from patients with PBC, when stimulated with the polyclonal activators pokeweed mitogen and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), was reduced. This hyporesponsiveness was not due to a decrease in the number of B cells, as determined by staining with the monoclonal antibody anti-Leu 12. Furthermore, the decreased response of B cells to polyclonal activation in PBC patients was not due increased suppressor T-cell function, since EBV-stimulated cultures of lymphocytes from patients with PBC demonstrated diminished suppression of immunoglobulin-secreting cells after 14 days of culture compared to controls. These findings suggest that the humoral abnormalities in PBC are due to the activation of a small subpopulation of B cells rather than to generalized B-cell hyperactivity.

Key words

Primary biliary cirrhosis B cell activation 
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Copyright information

© Plenum Publishing Corporation 1985

Authors and Affiliations

  • S. P. James
    • 1
  • E. A. Jones
    • 2
  • J. H. Hoofnagle
    • 2
  • W. Strober
    • 1
  1. 1.Mucosal Immunity Section, Laboratory of Clinical InvestigationNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesUSA
  2. 2.Liver Diseases Section, Digestive Diseases BranchNational Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesda

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