H- and L-rich ferritins suppress antibody production, but not
proliferation, of human B lymphocytes in vitro
K Morikawa, F Oseko and S Morikawa
Department of Internal Medicine, Shimane Medical University, Japan.
The effect of human spleen(L-rich) and heart(H-rich) ferritins on the
proliferation and differentiation of human B lymphocytes was studied in
comparison with that of holo- and apo-transferrins. Ferritins rich in H and
L chain, as well as the transferrins, did not inhibit the proliferative
response of resting and activated B cells stimulated with polyclonal B-cell
mitogen, Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I. In contrast, the ferritins,
but not the transferrins, clearly suppressed the antibody production by B
blasts in T-cell-independent as well as T- cell-dependent system. Kinetic
study showed that inhibitory action of ferritins on immunoglobulin (Ig)
production was caused at an early stage of B-cell differentiation. The
cytoplasmic Ig-containing cells decreased in proportion to the reduction of
Ig secretion. The evidence that ferritin inhibited Ig synthesis of
Epstein-Barr virus-transformed human B-lymphoblastoid cell line also
supported the idea that the effect of ferritin was directed toward the
antibody-producing B lymphocytes. The molecular analysis showed that the
inhibitory effect of ferritin was regulated at the transcriptional level of
the Ig generation signal. Our results suggest that H- and L-rich ferritins
exert their inhibitory action on the differentiation of B cells maturing
into Ig-producing cells.
Volume 83,
Issue 3,
pp. 737-743,
02/01/1994
Copyright © 1994 by The American Society of Hematology
