Changes in the protein pattern of murine B cells after mitogenic stimulation

The technique of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis has been applied to study the changes in protein patterns occurring in murine B lymphocytes after activation with the synergistic B cell mitogens lipopolysaccharide and dextran sulfate. Whole cell lysates from [35S]methionine-labeled mitogen-activated B cells were analyzed and radiofluorographs of the gels compared. We found that a large number of proteins appear and disappear during the 5-day activation period (74/206 spots of a nonimmunoglobulin region of the gel). The B cell pattern (in the nonimmunoglobulin region) was also compared with that of mitogen-activated T cells. We identified 19 T cell-specific and 29 B cell-specific proteins, the remaining 1000 or so proteins being common.