Profound reduction of mature B cell numbers, reactivities and serum lg levels in mice which simultaneously carry the XID and CD40 deficiency gense

It has been known for some time that single mutant nude or CD40T mice have apparently normal numbers of cells in the precursor compartments of bone marrow and the mature B cell compartments of the periphery. X-linked immunodeficiency (XID) mice are deficient only in some of the slgM+slgD+ B cells. We have investigated further the contributions of the xid mutation, of the T cell deficiency of nude and of the inability of CD40T B cells to cooperate with T cells in the generation of the precursor and the mature B cell compartments in mice. Double mutant XIDInu and XIDlCD4OT mice have precursor B cell compartments that are no more deficient than the single mutant XID mice. However, the peripheral B cell compartments of both XIDInu and XIDlCD40T are even more deficient than those of single mutant XID mice. While 10% of the peripheral B cells of wild-type or CD40T, one-third of XID and half of XIDInu mice turn over rapidly, as many as threequarters of those in XIDlCD40T are short-lived. Total numbers of slgM+slgD+ B cells in the spleen are at best 1615% of normal mice at 6-8 weeks of age in XID, XIDInu and XIDICD40T mice. They remain that low at 3 months of age in XIDICD40T mice, while in XID mice these peripheral B cells slowly build up in numbers with age. As expected, double mutant XIDlCD40T mice do not respond to the T-dependent antigen keyhole limpet hemocyanin. Only the responses to the T-independent type I antigen, TNP-lipopolysaccharide (LPS), appear to be normal. In vitro, their splenic B cells respond poorly to LPS or to IgM-specific antibody in either the absence or presence of cytokines. Most notably, serum IgM, lgG2b and lgG3 levels are severely depressed, while IgG1, lgG2a and IgA levels are