Studies on the control of antibody synthesis. XIII. Preferential depeletion of precursors of high affinity antibody-secreting cells by specific immunoadsorbents.

Passage of spleen or bone marrow cells from non-immunized donors through a DNP-Ova coated Degalan bead immunoadsorbent column resulted in a specific depletion of the ability of the cell population to restore the anti-DNP antibody response to DNP-BGG by lethally irradiated mice. There was a preferential depletion of precursors of high affinity antibody-secreting cells which is consistent with the view that these cells bear high affinity antigen receptors. The cell population passed through the immunoadsorbent column was also preferentially depleted of the capacity to produce high affinity direct anti-DNP PFC in comparison with thigh affinity indirect anti-DNP PFC. These findings suggest, but do not prove, that different subpopulations of antigen-binding cells are precursors for direct and indirect PFC.