Migration of immature and mature B cells in the aged microenvironment.

Studies in aged mice show that the architecture of B-cell areas appears disrupted and that newly made B cells fail to incorporate into the spleen. These observations may reflect altered migration of immature and mature B cells. Using adoptive transfer, we tested the effect of the aged microenvironment and the intrinsic ability of donor B cells from aged mice to migrate to spleens of intact hosts.

Plasma cell purification from murine bone marrow using a two-step isolation approach.

Interest in plasma cells has increased greatly in the past decade. While several studies have examined the longevity and transcriptional control of antibody secreting cells in vivo, few studies have examined freshly isolated plasma cells ex vivo. Studies of primary plasma cells have been limited primarily due to the difficulty of isolating the large numbers of plasma cells necessary for experiments.

The effects of microenvironment and internal programming on plasma cell survival.

Two populations of plasma cells (PCs) are formed after immunization. A short-lived population in the spleen and lymph nodes provides rapid protection. A long-lived population, mainly in the bone marrow, provides lasting immunity.

The role of bone marrow-derived stromal cells in the maintenance of plasma cell longevity.

Protective circulating Abs originate primarily from long-lived plasma cells in the bone marrow. However, the molecular and cellular basis of plasma cell longevity is unknown. We investigated the capacity of primary bone marrow-derived stromal cells to maintain plasma cell viability in vitro.

IgG plasma cells display a unique spectrum of leukocyte adhesion and homing molecules.

Long-lived antibody-secreting plasma cells are formed in the secondary lymphoid organs and subsequently home to the bone marrow, although the mechanisms that control this migration remain primarily unknown. In this study, we show that IgG plasma cells constitute a significant fraction of cervical lymph node cells from older mice deficient in both E- and P-selectin (E/P(-/-)), and that these cells can be prospectively isolated by phenotype. These IgG plasma cells were polyclonal, cytoplasmic Ig(+), spontaneously secreted antibody, were in the G(0)/G(1) phase of the cell cycle, and failed to express multiple B-cell surface markers.