Quantitative evidence against inactivation of self-reactive B-cell clones

The frequencies of murine B-cell precursors developing into clones secreting antibodies which bind to autologous (mouse) or heterologous (rabbit or human) forms of the same protein antigen (myosin and albumin) were determined in an attempt to directly test the hypothesis of higher decay rates of B lymphocytes exposed to self-antigens. The results exclude, on a quantitative basis, any form of inactivation or deletion of such cells.