Autocrine regulation of murine B lymphocyte growth by an IgM antibody

Natural antibody-induced intracellular signalling and growth control in C3H 10T1/2 fibroblast variants

Cell-surface binding by natural antibody (NAb) places it well for controlling cell function directly through signalling. Flow cytometry revealed an instability of syngeneic NAb binding to C3H 10T1/2 fibroblast variants at 37 degrees, which could be partially reduced by H7, an inhibitor of the pivotal signalling serine/threonine kinase, protein kinase C (PKC). Cells coated with purified NAb at 4 degrees followed by a rise in temperature to 37 degrees showed an increase in membrane expression of introduced rat PKC-beta 1 and endogenous PKC-alpha, in the PKC-beta 1-overexpressing PKC-4 and v-H-ras-producing I3T2.1, respectively. Tyrosine phosphorylation of membrane-associated 60 000 MW protein including the tyrosine kinase src was markedly reduced. In addition, both the precoated NAb and numerous membrane molecules ranging from 20,000 to 220,000 MW were released into the supernatant, including the receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase alpha (RPTP-alpha). Furthermore, purified NAb reduced the growth of I3T2.1 cells in culture assessed as a decrease in total cell numbers and an increase in the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Together, these data argue that the interaction of NAb with cell surface structures initiated a series of intracellular signalling events leading to the release of membrane molecules and over time the suppression of cell proliferation. This process could provide a biological mechanism for direct NAb control of activated cells in both physiological and pathological conditions.

A natural IgM antibody does inhibit polyclonal and antigen-specific IgM but not IgG B-cell responses

Since a B-cell growth-inhibitory natural IgM antibody was identified in the culture supernatants of LPS-stimulated murine splenic B lymphocytes [11], attempts have been made to define other possible functional role(s) of this antibody. Here we show that this regulatory IgM is able to inhibit not only the proliferation of splenic B cells, but also their IgM secretion during LPS-induced polyclonal, as well as antigen (FITC-KLH)-specific antibody responses. In contrast, IgG1 production of hapten (FITC)-specific B cells neither during restimulation with LPS nor in the presence of carrier-specific T lymphocytes in vitro was affected by regulatory IgM. Therefore, whereas newly emerging naive B cells are highly susceptible, IgG-secreting B cells appear to be completely resistant to inactivation by the regulatory IgM autoantibody.