Proliferation of human malignant lymphocytes induced by anti-IgM independent of B cell growth factor.

Human malignant B lymphocytes were identified that proliferate in response to small doses of anti-immunoglobulin. Proliferation was induced by monoclonal mouse anti-HIgM, polyclonal goat anti-HIgM, and F(ab')2 fragments thereof, in vitro, and was not accompanied by immunoglobulin secretion. Proliferation was found to be unaffected by T cell depletion and was not enhanced by supplementation with B cell growth factor. Culture fluids from unstimulated malignant lymphocytes as well as from malignant lymphocytes stimulated with anti-HIgM contained no measurable B cell growth factor activity. Thus, proliferation of these malignant lymphocytes was not dependent on the presence of T lymphocytes and was independent of the presence of B cell growth factor. These results imply that B cell stimulatory factors may not be required for proliferation of all human B lymphocytes. Moreover, these results imply that treatment with anti-immunoglobulin reagents may be inappropriate for some B lymphocyte malignancies.