The Use of the Splenic Focus Assay to Study B Cell Tolerance

Abstract

The splenic focus assay is an extremely powerful technique for studying monoclonal B cell responses to in vitro T-cell-dependent antigenic stimulation. This method has been applied to studies of several aspects of B cell function, including that of B cell tolerance. Included here are descriptions of the splenic focus assay with its modifications that enable the analysis of B cell tolerance, the advantages and limitations of the assay, and the application of the in vitro assay to the study of various aspects of B cell tolerance, such as the parameters of B cell tolerance, the susceptibility of various B cell subpopulations, and the effect of tolerance on repertoire expression.