The Transformation of Column-Purified Lymphocytes with Nonspecific and Specific Antigenic Stimuli

[摘要] Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated cultures of column-separated “purified” human peripheral blood lymphocytes incorporated tritiated thymidine to the same extent as cultures of unseparated leukocytes. However, they incorporated less tritiated thymidine when stimulated with the nonspecific staphylococcal filtrate (SF), specific antigens or with low doses of PHA. Furthermore, SF, antigens, and homologous leukocytes stimulated a median of 10, 5 and 5% respectively of the small lymphocytes in unseparated leukocyte cultures to transform, whereas this decreased to 2, 0.5 and 0.5% respectively in the cultures of “purified” lymphocytes.Prior incubation of the leukocytes with antigens followed by column separation resulted in an intermediate proportion of transforming lymphocytes. The addition of autologous phagocyte-rich, lymphocyte-poor leukocytes to the purified lymphocytes also partially restored the response to antigens. Restoration was also achieved by growing the “purified” lymphocytes at a higher cell density. However, growing the purified lymphocytes in conjunction with WI-38 human embryonic lung monolayers failed to restore their antigen-stimulated transformation.The data suggest that the phagocytic cells facilitate the in vitro transformation of lymphocytes with antigenic as well as “nonspecific” stimuli.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）