Cell Surface-Associated Gamma Globulins in Lymphocytes

[摘要] Antigen in complete Freund's adjuvant injected intraperitoneally in mice induces large-scale changes of thymus-derived (T)-and bone marrow-derived (B)-cells in terms of surface-associated γ globulins as shown by reverse immune cytoadherence (RICA) and cytotoxicity. Six hours after antigenic stimulation there is an over-all increase of γ globulin-carrying cells. Exposure in vitro of normal spleen cells to serum collected 6 hr after antigenic stimulation reproduces the increase of the γ globulin-carrying cells observed in vivo. The increase is due to the acquisition of a cytophilic γG globulin by a T-cell. Such evidence is derived from the fact that concomitant to the 6-hr increase of γ globulin cells the number of T-cells detectable in the spleen by anti-θ serum decreases approximately by the same number. Furthermore anti-θ serum-treated normal spleen cells exposed to 6-hr serum do not show the increase and spleen cells from irradiated mice reconstituted with thymus cells show a similar to normal increase after challenge with antigen. In addition to these changes, in a significant number of the cells which carry γ globulin before immunization (B-cells), surface γ globulin is not detectable. Since the number of T-cells which take up γ globulin is larger than the number by which the B-cells decrease, the net result is an over-all increase of γ globulin-carrying cells at 6 hr.After this time interval the T-cells return to normal levels within the 1st week, while the B-cells progressively decrease and reach the lowest point of 45% of the pre-immunization level 2 weeks after antigenic stimulation. Although the relationship of the phenomena described to other known phenomena of the immune response is at present obscure they nevertheless indicate that antigen affects a population of cells much larger than the antigen sensitive cells.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）