Immunization and Infection Change the Number of Recombination Activating Gene (Rag)-Expressing B Cells in the Periphery by Altering Immature Lymphocyte Production

Recombination activating gene (RAG) expression in peripheral B cells increases after immunization with (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl) acetyl coupled to chicken gamma globulin (NP-CGG) in alum. This increase could result from reinduction of RAG expression or, alternatively, from accumulation of RAG-expressing immature B cells in the periphery. We have used mice that carry a green fluorescent protein (GFP) RAG indicator transgene (RAG2-GFP) to characterize the RAG-expressing B cells in immunized spleens. Most of the RAG2-GFP–expressing B cells in unimmunized spleen are immature B cells. Injection with NP-CGG in alum initially suppresses lymphopoiesis in the bone marrow and decreases the number of immature RAG2-GFP–expressing B cells in the spleen. Recovery of lymphopoiesis in the bone marrow coincides with accumulation of RAG-expressing immature B cells in the spleen. Most of the RAG-expressing cells that accumulate in the spleen after immunization do not proliferate and they are not germinal center cells. Neither the initial suppression of lymphopoiesis nor the subsequent accumulation of RAG-expressing cells in the spleen is antigen dependent, since similar changes are seen with alum alone. Furthermore, such changes in the numbers of developing and circulating immature lymphoid cells are seen after injection with complete Freund's adjuvant or malaria infection. Our experiments suggest that adjuvants and infectious agents cause previously unappreciated alterations in lymphopoiesis resulting in the accumulation of RAG-expressing immature B cells in the spleen.