Electrokinetic properties of splenic lymphocytes from the low-lipopolysaccharide responder C3H/Hej mice

Spleen cells from C3H/Hej mice (H-2k) respond poorly to the B-cell mitogen lipopolysaccharide in vitro as compared to the related strains C3H/Tif (H-2k) and CBA/Orl (H-2k). The electrokinetic properties of splenic lymphocytes from these 3 strains were investigated in parallel, in order to both quantitate low-mobility B cell and high-mobility T cell populations and measure their mean electrophoretic mobilities. C3H/Hej mice were found to possess the same proportion (55%) of LM cells as C3H/Tif and CBA/Orl mice. Therefore, the low LPS-responsiveness of C3H/Hej is not due to a numerical deficiency in B cells. Whereas the mean EPM of HM cells was identical in the 3 strains, that of LM cells was slightly (6%) but significantly (Student's t test, P less than 0.01) lower in C3H/Hej than in the high LPS-responder controls. This suggests that the membrane-structure required for activating interaction with LPS might contribute to B-cell electronegative surface-charge.