| First Author | Fischer MB | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 157 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 549-56 |
| PubMed ID | 8752901 | Mgi Jnum | J:64282 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1889051 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.157.2.549 |
| Citation | Fischer MB, et al. (1996) Regulation of the B cell response to T-dependent antigens by classical pathway complement. J Immunol 157(2):549-56 |
| abstractText | Mice deficient in complement components C3 (C3 -/-) and C4 (C4 -/-) were found to have a profound defect in their Ab response to a T-dependent Ag (bacteriophage (phi X174). Characterization of the deficient mice demonstrated a diminished level of peanut agglutinin+ germinal centers and a failure in isotype switching despite normal B cell signaling in vitro. The nature of the defect was found to lie at the B cell level, as the T cells were primed in C3- and C4-deficient mice as well as those in wild-type mice. These results, and the finding that the defect could be partly reversed by a 10-fold increase in Ag dose, support the hypothesis that covalent attachment of complement ligands, i.e., C3b and C3d to the Ag-Ab complex, increases its immunogenicity. |
