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Cyclic AMP (cAMP) inhibits antigen-stimulated B cell proliferation through activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinases (cAK). We have examined the molecular composition and cellular localization of cAK in human B cells. We find that human B cells contain substantial amounts of mRNA for RI alpha, RII alpha, C alpha and C beta, barely detectable levels of RI beta mRNA, and no detectable RII beta or C gamma mRNA. At the protein level, using Western blotting and subunit-specific antibodies against the different R subunits, we find RI alpha and RII alpha, but no RI beta or RII beta. The presence of catalytic subunits was demonstrated using a nonselective anti-C antiserum. By photoaffinity labeling of R subunits with 8-azido-[32P]cAMP, followed by immunoprecipitation with subunit-specific antibodies, we were also able to demonstrate low levels of RI beta. Immunofluorescence staining of RI alpha and RII alpha demonstrates a rather homogeneous intracellular (but extranuclear) distribution of RI alpha, whereas the RII alpha subunits of cAK are localized to distinct perinuclear structures, previously identified as centrosomes in other cell types. Upon anti-Ig-mediated capping of B cells, RI alpha subunits redistribute to the cap, co-localizing with the antigen-receptors, whereas the intracellular localization of RII alpha subunits remains unchanged.

Within the hematopoietic system, CDw75 is primarily expressed on cells of the B cell lineage. Cloning and sequencing of the gene has shown CDw75 to be a beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase. This enzyme plays an important role in the intracellular terminal glycosylation pathways in various cell types. In this article, we demonstrate that COS cells transfected with the CDw75 cDNA clone displayed sialyltransferase activity, in contrast to mock-transfected cells. We also found that activated B cells displayed an increased enzyme activity compared to resting cells, in accordance with the staining data. Moreover, CDw75 expression was found to be up-regulated approximately 7-9-fold from early G1 to the G2/M phases of the cell cycle in peripheral blood leukocyte B cells. This was shown by staining of in vitro activated B cells with the anti-CDw75 monoclonal antibody HH2, using cell fractions corresponding to different stages of the cell cycle. Using a combination of Hoechst 33258 and propidium iodide after bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, it is possible to distinguish between different phases of the first and second cell cycle. By combining this with HH2 immunofluorescence staining, using a multistation multiparameter flow cytometry program, we confirmed the cell cycle-dependent expression of CDw75. Immunocytochemical stainings of cytospin specimens of elutriated B cells showed that the antigen was up-regulated in late G1 before the appearance of the nuclear activation antigen Ki67. Finally, we showed that activated B cells secreted soluble CDw75 into the medium, as demonstrated by a specific blocking of HH2 staining of B cells using suboptimal concentrations of HH2. In accordance with this, we observed small, but detectable levels of soluble sialyltransferase activity in supernatants of activated B cells.

We have studied the expression of two different tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFR; 55 kDa and 75 kDa) on resting and activated human peripheral blood B lymphocytes using specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb). Flow cytometric analysis revealed that most resting B cells expressed small amounts of the 75-kDa TNFR, and that the 75-kDa TNFR was markedly up-regulated upon stimulation with anti-mu or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I (SAC). In contrast, the expression of the 55-kDa TNFR was low on resting as well as on activated cells. B cell activation was accompanied by an increased binding of biotinylated TNF-alpha, and this binding could be blocked by preincubation by utr-1 (anti-75-kDa TNRF), but not the htr (anti-55-kDa TNFR) antibodies. Notably, a number of cytokines tested (interleukin 1 to 8, interferon-gamma, TNF-alpha and -beta) did not influence the expression of either the 75-kDa or the 55-kDa TNFR when given to resting B cells. Moreover, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate led to an early, marked down-regulation of the 75-kDa TNFR expression, followed by a later modest increase after greater than 24 h. In contrast to other cell systems where htr mAb have been found either to mimic or to inhibit TNF action, htr mAb had insignificant effects in assays for restimulation of preactivated B cells. However, utr-1 markedly inhibited the TNF-beta but only partly inhibited the TNF-alpha-induced proliferation. Taken together, our data suggest that changes in 75-kDa protein expression is responsible for the increased TNFR expression on activated vs. resting peripheral blood B cells and that this protein also may play an important functional role.

Here we report that human B lymphocytes can be positively selected directly from buffy coats applying the anti-CD19 antibody AB1 coupled to magnetic beads. This isolation protocol is highly efficient and the isolated cell population is of very high purity and viability. As judged by cell cycle analysis and various parameters for cell activation, the cells are still in a resting state after isolation. Furthermore, different functional assays have shown that the isolation procedure does not interfere with either activation or proliferation/differentiation of CD19 selected cells as compared to negatively isolated cells. As a consequence of cross-linking during the isolation process, the CD19 antigen is temporarily down-regulated as measured by AB1 binding. Despite this decreased expression, monoclonal antibodies to the CD19 antigen nevertheless inhibited anti-mu plus B cell growth factor induced B cell activation as reported also for negatively isolated cells. Taken together, the presented data strongly suggest that B cells isolated through the CD19 antigen can be used in critical functional assays.

In the present study we demonstrate that CDw78 monoclonal antibody (mAb) recognizes a distinct subpopulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules. We show that the CDw78 epitope is present on less than 10% of the total number of MHC class II molecules expressed on different cells, is not linked to a single isotype, and exhibits a characteristic expression pattern in tonsils. While mAb against MHC class II (DR, DP and DQ) stained the majority of cells both in the mantle zone and in germinal centers, the CDw78 staining was more heterogeneous with the strongest reactivity and the highest number of positive cells in the mantle zone and in the light centrocyte-rich part of the germinal centers. Antibodies to this MHC class II subpopulation (e.g. FN1) induced association with the cytoskeleton and a subsequent capping in more than 90% of peripheral blood B cells. In contrast, mAb against MHC class II (DR, DP and DQ) did not induce association with the cytoskeleton and only 10-20% of B cells were induced to cap, suggesting that CDw78 defines a population of MHC class II molecules functionally different from the majority of these antigens. Scatchard plot analysis indicates that FN1 mAb is of relatively low affinity (Ka = 1.5 x 10(8) M(-1)) and monovalent Fab fragments fail to bind to the cell surface with measurable affinity. Our data seen in the context of the ability of FN1 to co-stimulate B cells with a suboptimal dose of anti-mu suggest that CDw78 mAb might recognize a functional important subpopulation of MHC class II molecules so far not described. It seems likely that this subpopulation represents dimerized or aggregated MHC class II molecules that can selectively bind this low-affinity mAb.

The role of the human beta-galactoside alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase (hu alpha-2,6-ST) in the generation of B cell surface antigens was investigated by selecting subclones of COS cells (monkey kidney epithelial cells) constitutively expressing a transfected cDNA which encodes the hu alpha-2,6-ST (COS alpha-2,6-ST cells). Expression of hu alpha-2,6-ST in COS cells was sufficient to generate sialylated cell surface epitopes on different glycosylated antigens recognized by monoclonal antibodies to CDw75, CD76, and the unclustered monoclonal antibodies HB-4 and EBU-65. These epitopes were sensitive to sialidase treatment and are likely to contain terminal alpha-2,6-linked sialic acid residues. A novel antiserum raised against bacterially expressed hu alpha-2,6-ST fusion protein was used to localize the sialyltransferase in two cell lines with high expression of either endogenous (B cell line JOK-1) or recombinant (COS alpha-2,6-ST cells) hu alpha-2,6-ST. In both cell lines, the enzyme was detected only intracellularly in the juxtanuclear region and not on the cell surface. In contrast, CDw75, formerly proposed to be identical with an alpha-2,6-ectosialyltransferase, was strongly expressed on the cell surface. The different expression patterns show that neither the CDw75 antigen nor any of the other sialylated antigens analyzed is identical with the hu alpha-2,6-ST. Furthermore, the presence of a surface-expressed alpha-2,6-ST appears unlikely in these cell lines. We propose that CDw75, CD76, HB-4, and EBU-65 represent a unique group of B cell differentiation antigens the production of which requires the enzymatic activity of alpha-2,6-ST.

Antibodies to surface IgM and IgD were found to induce increased expression of class II antigens on normal and neoplastic human B cells within 24 h of stimulation. Antigens associated with different class II sub-locus genes (DC, DR and SB) were all found to be increased as determined by monoclonal antibodies (Leu-10 and B 3/4 for DC, D 1/12 for DR and MHM4 for SB-associated antigens). The increased expression of class II antigens was selective as anti-immunoglobulins failed to increase expression of other surface antigens such as B1 and beta 2-microglobulin. The effect of anti-mu and anti-delta could be blocked specifically by corresponding myeloma proteins suggesting that antibodies to surface IgM and IgD, respectively, were responsible for the effect observed. Moreover, antibodies to another surface antigen (B1) failed to induce such changes. Increased class II antigen expression appeared to be dependent on protein synthesis, and early changes in ion fluxes, but could not be elicited by membrane depolarization as reported in murine systems.

The internalization and intracellular processing of monoclonal antibody to immunoglobulin mu heavy chain (Mamu) have been investigated in two human Burkitt lymphoma cell lines (Ramos and Raji), in a human B cell lymphoma and in normal human peripheral blood B cells. In addition to the degradation of 125I-labeled Mamu to trichloroacetic acid (TCA) soluble material, a distinct pattern of larger 125I-Mamu fragments was detected in all sources of B cells tested. The particular fragmentation pattern, as revealed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis, involved the cleavage of both peptide bonds and disulfide bridges. This type of antibody fragmentation appeared to be a selective mechanism associated with sIgM, as no other degradation than that leading to TCA-soluble material could be detected after the internalization and degradation of radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies towards a variety of non-Ig B cell surface receptors. Three fragments of 125I-Mamu degradation were also detected in the supernatant of Ramos cells, implying that the recycling and exocytosis of certain 125I-Mamu fragments also took place.

Protooncogenes play important roles in the regulation of growth and differentiation of normal cells. In this study we have examined the cell cycle-dependent regulation of transcription of various protooncogenes after stimulation of human peripheral blood B lymphocytes. The transcriptional rate of various genes was determined by means of a nuclear run-on assay. We found that several protooncogenes were transcriptionally activated after stimulation (myc, p53, K-ras, H-ras, sis and ets), but with different kinetics of induction. In contrast, some oncogenes, especially those encoding membrane-associated or cytoplasmatic proteins like abl, rel or mil/raf, were transcribed at a relatively constant rate during the cell cycle.

We have investigated several aspects of the inhibitory effects of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) directed against MHC class II antigens in B cell activation/proliferation, using a panel of mAb specifically reactive with antigens encoded by HLA class II loci (DP, DQ, DR). All mAb except the anti-DP mAb inhibited significantly anti-mu plus B cell growth factor-induced DNA synthesis. Only one mAb, however, which was reactive with gene products of all three class II loci (DP, DQ, DR) inhibited anti-mu-induced DNA synthesis as well as c-myc mRNA expression. In addition, the same mAb inhibited the early events induced by anti-mu stimulation alone, including phosphatidylinositol turnover and elevation of [Ca2+]i. In contrast to previous findings in the murine system, none of the anti-MHC class II mAb used in this study increased the cAMP levels.

Negative regulators of cellular proliferation are important in maintaining a balanced growth control. In this study we have examined the effects of the diterpene forskolin on various parameters of B cell activation. Forskolin is known to elevate intracellular adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels and thereby to influence B cell stimulation. We found that forskolin exerted an inhibitory effect on early as well as late events during stimulation of resting normal human B cells. Cells were activated either by antibodies to surface immunoglobulins (anti-mu), by the monoclonal antibody 1F5 reactive with the CD20 antigen or by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate. While anti-mu stimulation induces increased phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover and [Ca2+]i fluxes, the latter two reagents confer an activation of B cells independent of the PI/Ca2+ pathway. We found a clear inhibitory effect of forskolin on the anti-mu-induced PI turnover and [Ca2+]i fluxes as well as on later parameters of cell activation. There was also a clear inhibition of G1 entry and DNA synthesis when PI/Ca2+-independent activation was employed, indicating that cAMP interferes with B lymphocyte stimulation in several ways. Importantly, forskolin maintained its inhibitory effect when added late after anti-mu stimulation, implying an effect also at multiple stages of activation. When examining the inhibitory effect of forskolin on neoplastic B cells, we found essentially no differences from the responses in normal cells.