Transfer of T or CD8+ cells from hemorrhaged mice produce alterations in bacterial antigen specific plasma cell repertoires in normal syngeneic recipients.

Hemorrhage has multiple effects on immunologic response, including alteration of B cell repertoires and T cell function. This study examined possible relationships between these two phenomena by determining the effects of T cells and T cell subsets transferred from hemorrhaged donors into normal, unhemorrhaged syngeneic recipients on B cell repertoires. Mice given total T or CD8+ cells from hemorrhaged animals then immunized with the bacterial polysaccharide antigen levan had a decreased percentage of plasma cells producing antibody to levan compared to that in mice given T or CD8+ cells from unhemorrhaged animals. These effects of post hemorrhage CD8+ cells were not seen after transfer into nu/nu mice, indicating that these cells did not directly affect B cell function, but rather required other T cell populations in order to alter the B cell repertoire. These results demonstrate that hemorrhage-induced alterations in bacterial antigen specific B cell repertoires may result from T and CD8+ cell mediated changes in T-B interactions.