Role of T cell-replacing factor (TRF) in the murine B cell differentiation: induction of increased levels of expression of secreted type IgM mRNA.

T cell-replacing factor (TRF) is known to play a critical role in the regulation of B cell growth and differentiation. In this study, the role of TRF in the expression of mRNA for both IgM and IgG1 class was investigated. The TRF was purified from cellfree supernatants from a T cell hybridoma, B151K12. RNA was isolated from chronic B cell leukemia (BCL1) cells, DNP-KLH-primed B cells, or normal B cells cultured with or without LPS, and LPS plus TRF or LPS plus BSF-1. The steady state level of isotype-specific mRNA was assessed by Northern blot analysis with a mu-specific or a gamma 1-specific probe. It was demonstrated that BCL1 and purified B cells cocultured with TRF expresses increased levels (twofold and fourfold, respectively) of secreted forms of mu mRNA. Purified B cells from DNP-KLH-primed mice also expressed increased levels (twofold to fourfold) of mu as well as gamma 1 mRNA for secreted form by stimulation with TRF. Total expression of mu mRNA, however, was approximately threefold higher than that of gamma 1 mRNA. The stimulation of normal B cells with LPS plus TRF induced an increase in the levels of mu mRNA and gamma 1 mRNA expression, fourfold and threefold, respectively. However, the levels of gamma 1 mRNA expression was one-third of that induced in B cells stimulated with LPS plus BSF-1. These results indicate that TRF preferentially induces increased levels of secreted type of mu mRNA and induces less gamma 1 mRNA than BSF-1. The differential role of TRF from BSF-1 in the expression of Ig mRNA will be discussed.