# T CELL INFLUENCES ON B CELL MATURATION

> **NIH NIH R01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 1988 · $150,603

## Abstract

The events leading to B lymphocyte activation are strongly dictated by the
cell's developmental stage and perhaps its maturational history.  For
mature B cells, cell interactions between B cells and T cells can lead to B
cell growth, proliferation, and secretion of antibody.  Extensive analyses
of these interactions have suggested T cell recognition of B-cell surface
antigens is essential for effective communication.  Subsets of helper T
cells have been defined which interact with unique B-cell surface antigens
and which deliver signals influencing the quantity and the type of antibody
secreted by a population of B cells.  Upon close examination, the
activation of a B cell by subsets of helper T cells depends not only on the
expression but also the density of the appropriate cell surface antigen,
suggesting strongly that there is direct communication between T and B
lymphocytes in generating an antibody response.  It might be suggested that
the direct T B cell interactions need not be confined to laboratory
analyses but may play an integral role in influencing B cell maturation in
vivo, particularly in the presence of environmental antigens.  We intend to
study three of the elements controlling the interactions of subsets of T
cells and B cells:  Ia antigens, immunoglobulin idiotypic determinants, and
antigen.  The responses will be analyzed using defined, monoclonal
populations of cells and measuring B cell activation to secretion in
response to phosphorylcholine--an antigen found commonly as a component of
respiratory and gut flora.  To evaluate B cell activation, we will use both
functional assays looking for proliferation and secretion and will look for
the correlation of the expression of cell surface markers and cell size.
Finally, we intend to demonstrate that those elements in the environment
which can directly interact with a B cell may influence its maturation,
changing its subsequent activation requirements and skewing its frequency
of representation in the total B-cell pool. Thus, we are particularly
interested in determining whether or not B cells raised in the absence of
particular T-cell subsets and/or environmental antigen will differ in their
activation requirements.  (LB)

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3176435
- **Project number:** 5R01CA038350-08
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** FL6GV84CKN57
- **Principal Investigator:** KIM BOTTOMLY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $150,603
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1984-03-01 → 1989-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3176435

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3176435, T CELL INFLUENCES ON B CELL MATURATION (5R01CA038350-08). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3176435. Licensed CC0.

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