Alteration of membrane oligosaccharides by castanospermine, an alpha glucosidase inhibitor, enhances immunoglobulin production in Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I-stimulated lymphocyte culture.

Castanospermine (CSP) inhibits alpha-glucosidase, which is involved in the initial step of N-linked oligosaccharide processing of secretory and membrane glycoproteins. In Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC)-stimulated human lymphocyte culture, CSP at a dose of 20 micrograms/ml caused a twofold increase in immunoglobulin G (IgG) release after 7 days. An initial 48-h exposure to CSP sufficed for this enhancing effect. Plaque-forming cell assays on the seventh day disclosed that CSP caused an increase in the number of IgG-, IgA- and IgM-secreting cells. In cross-culture experiments, only a mixture of B cells pretreated with CSP and untreated T cells showed an increase in IgG production. Tritiated thymidine incorporation studies revealed that CSP enhanced B-cell responses to T cell-derived soluble factor (TSF). When incubated with CSP for 18 h, B cells showed an increased surface binding on [3H]concanavalin A (Con A). These results indicate that the alteration in B-cell membrane oligosaccharides enhances the response to TSF at an early stage of SAC culture, leading to an increase in Ig-secreting cell number at later stages. The present study provides evidence that cell-surface oligosaccharides of B cells play an important role in the responses of B cells to lymphokines.