Characteristics of the in Vitro Response of Guinea Pig Blood Lymphocytes to PHA and Antigen

[摘要] The in vitro response of guinea pig lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin and tuberculin in tuberculin-sensitive and non-sensitive animals was studied. Measurements of tritiated thymidine incorporation, mitotic activity, and blast cell transformation were used to establish optimal conditions of culture and to investigate the mechanisms of in vitro interactions of antigen and cells. The pattern of response to phytohemagglutin (PHA) was found to be similar to that reported with human lymphocytes. Tuberculin-induced proliferative responses were limited to cells from sensitized animals, with a fairly consistent antigen dose-response and period of optimal incubation. Evidence was found to suggest a considerable dependence of the degree of in vitro responses to PHA or antigen upon the source of serum used in the culture medium. A high degree of correlation was found between isotope uptake and mitotic division in both PHA- and tuberculin-induced proliferative responses, with a less impressive correlation of these findings with the degree of blast cell transformation. When high concentrations of antigen were employed, there was an apparent dissociation of the blast cell transformation from DNA synthesis and mitotic activity in the lymphocytes of sensitized animals.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）