In vivo effects of hyperdiploid Ly-1+ B cells of NZB origin

Cells with increased chromosome number and DNA content have been found in the spleens of old NZB mice. These hyperdiploid cells are of clonal origin and demonstrate discrete IgH chain gene rearrangements by Southern blot analysis. In this report, hyperdiploid cells were analyzed by three-color flow cytometric techniques and found to be Ly-1+ B cells which were dull for Ly-1 and bright for surface IgM. These cells, unlike typical diploid Ly-1+ B cells, were negative for B220/6B2 and surface IgD. Hyperdiploid Ly-1+ B cells were found to be the predominant splenic subpopulation in animals receiving a spleen cell transfer from donors which possessed hyperdiploid Ly-1+ B cells. (NZB x DBA/2)F1 recipients of NZB spleen cells demonstrated a 10- to 1000-fold increase in Ly-1+ B cells in the spleen but showed no increased levels of Ly-1+ B cells in the peritoneum. Nearly all the splenic Ly-1+ B cells were hyperdiploid with the phenotype of the NZB parent. Cytogenetic analysis revealed that all the hyperdiploid cells were NZB donor cells. These findings suggest that the increase in splenic Ly-1+ B cells in the F1 recipients was due to expansion of injected splenic hyperdiploid Ly-1+ B cells of NZB origin. All of the F1 recipients of NZB hyperdiploid Ly-1+ B cells demonstrated a significant decrease in endogenous B cells as well as decreased serum IgM and anti-ssDNA autoantibodies. These studies suggest that hyperdiploid Ly-1+ B cells are different from typical peritoneal Ly-1+ B cells both in the lymphoid organs to which they home and in their proliferative capacity. NZB hyperdiploid Ly-1+ B cells, which may arise as a natural consequence of hyperactive Ly-1+ B cells, may play an immunoregulatory role in the spleen.