Abnormal CD5⁺ B Cells from Young NZB/n Mice Induced by Immunization with Sheep Erythrocytes

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A type of abnormal B cells was obtained from young NZB/n mice, a well-known experimental model for lupus type autoimmune disease, by immunization with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) . NZB mice of both sexes were immunized i.p with 4×10⁹of SRBC. Two weeks later, B cells were obtained by treatment of spleen cells with anti-Thy-1, 2 plus complement to remove T cells. Unlike B cells prepared from normal BALB/c mice by the same procedure, the B cells from NZB mice responded to SRBC with or without small numbers of T cells duringin vitroculture. The abnormal B cells were positive for Ly-1 (Lyt-1, CD5) as confirmed by depletion of the cells with anti-Ly-1 plus complement. Plaque-forming cell (PFC) response of the abnormal B cells was enhanced by β-estradiol but not by testosterone. The above results suggest that the Ly-1⁺B cells from NZB mice might be long-lived or memory B cells.