In vivo influence of the anti-B220 monoclonal antibody administration of the T cell differentiation in mice

B220, a pan-B marker, is known to be also expressed on immature T cells of MRL/1pr or other congenic 1pr mice and minor population of immature thymocytes but not on peripheral T cells. In this study, we investigated in vivo the possibility whether B220 is one kind of premature T or prethymic T precursor cell marker as well as a pan-B cell marker. A monoclonal antibody against B220 glycoprotein was intravenously injected every 2 days into various strains of mice. After the third administration of this antibody, thymocytes decreased remarkably compared with those from the rat IgG-treated group, and spleen cells were also reduced significantly. Further, the number of cells expressing Thy-1, Ly-1, Lyt-2, and asialo GM1 (asGM1) in the spleen were significantly reduced. On the contrary, the number of cells expressing surface IgM (sIgM) or B220 were increased by this treatment, especially after the 8th treatment. Some T-dependent immunological functions including mitogenic responses to lectins and cytotoxic T cell activity were markedly suppressed but mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and natural killer (NK) activity were rather augmented. Thus, B220 may be expressed on some kinds of T cell progenitor. Taken together, in vivo treatment with anti-B220 antibody may influence differentiating stages of some T cells from bone marrow progenitors before or just after their homing into the thymus.