A Trypanosoma cruzi alkaline antigen induces polyclonal B-cell activation of normal murine spleen cells by T-cell-independent, BCR-directed stimulation.

We have previously reported that a cytosolic alkaline fraction (FI) obtained from epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi promotes the activation, proliferation and differentiation of normal murine B cells into antibody-secreting plasmocytes. Neither the mechanism nor the cells involved in the FI-induced polyclonal B-cell activation were established. In this work we report that accessory cells are required for FI-induced polyclonal B-cell activation as no proliferative responses were obtained following treatment of normal spleen mononuclear cells (NSMC) with L-leucine methyl ester. Furthermore, FI did not induce the expression of CD25 on T cells and it promoted the proliferation of a T-cell-depleted population, indicating that it acts in a T-independent manner. We observed that NSMC were stimulated in vitro by FI-released cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6 and IL-10, which are involved in B-cell proliferation and differentiation. Interestingly, while significant amounts of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were found in culture supernatants we did not observe detectable levels of IL-2. Additionally, we found that B-cell receptor (BCR) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens were involved in the proliferative response induced by FI because antibodies directed against cell-surface immunoglobulin M (IgM), CD45 and MHC class II molecules inhibited the FI-induced B-cell proliferation. CD40 ligand (CD40L) did not participate in such a phenomenon.