Alteration of immunologic function through early ontogenetic experiences Selective inactivation of T15‐positive B cells in neonatal mice is related to receptor avidity and is independent of thymus function

Abstract

The immunologic effects initiated by injecting neonatal mice with phosphorylcholine (PC)‐protein conjugates were analyzed. Pretreated nude or thymus‐bearing mice produced greater proportions of low‐avidity, TEPC 15‐negative antibody than control animals when challenged as adults with thymus‐dependent (TD) or ‐independent (TI) PC‐conjugated antigen. Furthermore, pretreatment had a greater inhibitory effect on responses elicited by TD compared with TI antigen. These results demonstrate that exposure of neonatal mice to PC‐protein conjugates results in the selective inactivation of higher avidity, T15‐positive, PC‐reactive B cells; this process is independent of thymic function and the duration of hyporesponsiveness is linked to the relative T dependency of the challenge antigen.