Peritoneal B-cell development depends on strain, radiation, and time

B-1a, B-1b, and B-2 cells represent the three B-cell subsets in mice. Previous studies have demonstrated that peritoneal B-1a cell development is absent, or nearly so, from adult bone marrow transfers into irradiated adult hosts. The majority of these studies have been performed under a limited set of conditions with irradiated host mice. Here we examined that under a variety of conditions, peritoneal B-1a cells can develop in significant numbers from adult bone marrow transfers into severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) and recombination activation gene 2(-) (RAG-2(-)) mice.

Adult bone marrow was transferred into various strains of irradiated and nonirradiated adult immunodeficient RAG-2(-) and SCID mice. Peritoneal B-cell engraftment was examined by fluorescein-activated cell sorting analysis and unpaired t-tests were used to determine significant differences of B-cell engraftment among the various conditions of cell transfer.

The level of B-1a cell engraftment was variously affected by the type of host immunodeficiency, the combination of donor and host strains, and the time allowed for engraftment. Irradiation of SCID, but not RAG-2(-), host mice inhibited B-1a-cell engraftment. Additionally, decreasing the number of bone marrow progenitor cells transferred was not found to preferentially affect B-1a cell development in irradiated RAG-2(-) hosts.

In the context of these strains, we conclude that adult murine bone marrow contains progenitors that have the capacity to reconstitute peritoneal B-1a cell populations to donor levels.