B-cell responses to male-specific antigen(s) in mice.

It has been found that B-cell responses to male-specific antigen(s) can be clearly demonstrated by reversed plaque assays. Female mice injected with syngeneic male spleen cells showed significant increases (greater than 100 X in some strains) in the number of immunoglobulin-secreting cells in lymph nodes draining the injection site. There was a variation in B-cell responsiveness between strains and this correlated only partially with previously reported T-cell responsiveness to the H-Y antigen. C57BL (H-2b) mice were among the most responsive, while CBA (H-2k), (CBA X C57BL)F1, and BALB/c (H-2d) were all much less responsive. These results apparently open up a new approach to the investigation of B-cell responses to male-specific antigen(s).