Increased VH 11 and VH Q52 gene use by splenic B cells in old mice associated with oligoclonal expansions of CD5+B cells

A significant increase in the utilization of the V-H gene families VH11 and Q52 was observed in LPS-stimulated splenic B lymphocytes from aged mice compared to young mice. V-H gene usage was assayed by in situ DNA/RNA hybridization using V-H family-specific and kappa chain probes. The observed age-dependent differences appear to reflect the preferential use of VH11 and Q52 V-H gene use by the CD5 + B lymphocyte subset whose numbers in the spleen increase with age. The increased use of VH11 by splenic cells from old mice is associated with clonal expansions of splenic CD5 + B lymphocytes. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.