Mitogen-activated B-cell blasts reactive to more than one mitogen

One of three splenic B cells of 2- to 3-mo-old C57BL/6J or C3H/Tif mice are activated either by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or by lipoprotein (LP) to grow and to mature to IgM-secreting cells. When mitogen-activated blast cells, after a 2-d activation period, are separated from nonactivated, small cells by velocity sedimentation, and no mitogen is readded, the blasts do not continue to grow but do continue to secrete IgM for several days. When the homologous mitogen is added for restimulation, the blast cells continue for several days to divide every 18 h and to develop IgM-secreting, plaque-forming cells. Frequency analyses at limiting dilutions of reactive B-blasts show that one cell in approximately equal to 1.2--1.5 blasts continue to grow and mature in the presence of the homologous mitogen, either LPS or LP. When the B-cell blasts obtained in a first activation period with either LPS or LP are restimulated with a heterologous mitogen, LPS, LP, Nocardia mitogen or mitogens contained in fetal calf serum a high proportion of the blasts continue to grow and mature to IgM-secreting cells. Frequency analyses show for LPS- or LP-blasts, restimulated in a heterologous fashion with either LP or LPS, that one cell in 1.35--1.5 blasts continue to divide and to mature to IgM-secreting cells. C3H/HeJ- splenic B-cells, which are LPS nonresponders, can only be activated to blast cells by LP. These LP-activated blasts can be restimulated by the homologous LP and by Nocardia mitogen and mitogens of fetal calf serum, but not by LPS. The results indicate that the majority of splenic B cells of 2- to 3-mo-old C57BL/6J or C3H/Tif mice are reactive to more than one B-cell mitogen. B cells, therefore, can possess in their surface membrane multireactive mitogen-receptor complexes which regulate growth and maturation.