Inhibition of antibody production from the plasmacytoma cell line MOPC-315 by staphylococcal enterotoxin B-induced T-suppressor cells.

Our previous results have shown that staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) induces a population(s) of T cells which has the capacity to suppress the antibody response of splenocytes in vitro. In the present report we have attempted to investigate the effect of SEB-primed cells on the secretion of antibody by the plasmacytoma cell line MOPC-315. We have found that the secretion of antibody by MOPC-315 is significantly reduced in as little as 24 hr of coculture with the suppressor cells. The suppressive activity is not antigen- or isotype-specific, since the antibody secretion by both MPC-11 and HOPC1 plasmacytomas are also inhibited by the SEB-primed cells. In addition, we have found that the SEB-primed cell population which inhibits the antibody production by the MOPC-315 cell line expresses the Lyt-1+,2- and Thy-1+ cell surface markers. The apparent relationship between the SEB-primed suppressor cell population and the population which inhibits a conventional antibody response is discussed.