Purification and immunophenotypic characterization of murine B10 B cells.

Regulatory B10 cells represent a rare CD1d(hi)CD5(+) IL-10-secreting B cell subset in mice which is induced to produce IL-10 after 5 h of in vitro stimulation with a combination of B cell mitogen and chemical stimulants. Although B10 cells only constitute 1-2 % of splenic CD19(+) B cells, they play important roles in controlling T cell-mediated immune responses in an antigen-specific and IL-10-dependent manner. The regulatory effects of B10 cells have been demonstrated in multiple mouse models of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Herein, we described current methods for identification and purification of CD1d(hi)CD5(+) B10 cells.