Genetic and functional characterization of an antiserum to the lipid A-specific triggering receptor on murine B lymphocytes.

The inheritance of responsiveness to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and of a marker recognized in LPS-reactive cells by a heterologous antiserum, was studied in crosses between C3H/HeJ (nonresponder) and C3H/Tif (high responder) mice. F1 hybrid mice show codominant expression of these traits: (a) LPS-reactive cells are only hlaf as frequent in the hybrids as in the high responder parent; (b) the serologically defined marker is expressed in half as many cells in the hybrids as in the high responder parent. In backcross generations, both LPS responsiveness and this serological marker segregated into high, intermediate, and nonresponders. LPS or free lipid A, but not two other B cell mitogens (lipoprotein, and purified protein derivative of tuberculin), compete with the antiserum for binding to the B cell surface membrane, and are capable of completely inhibiting such binding without interfering with the binding of a-ti-Ig antibodies or complexes to Fc receptors. The addition of an IgG fraction of the antiserum to B cell cultures results in exponetial growth of the cells and in maturation to antibody secretion. This mitogenic activity is dose-depedent and absorbable on spleen cells from LPS high responder mice. Taken together, these observations suggest that this antiserum contains antibodies to the lipid A-specific triggering receptor on B lymphocytes.