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Phytohaemagglutinin Responsiveness of Non‐adherent Nude Spleen Cells
Author(s) -
CLAËSSON M. H.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1979.tb01360.x
Subject(s) - phytohaemagglutinin , spleen , thymidine , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , biology , immunofluorescence , nude mouse , cell , antibody , immunology , in vitro , lymphocyte , biochemistry
Non‐adherent spleen cells from athymic nude mice showed incorporation of tritiated thymidine ( 3 H‐TdR) at a level comparable to that of non‐adherent cells of normal mice when stimulated with the T‐cell mitogen phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). The optimal dose of PHA was 50 μl/ml for nude cells, a concentration that does not stimulate normal cells. In comparison. 2.5 μl/ml PHA was optimal for cells of normal mice. Anti‐theta serum plus complement treatment of the non‐adherent nude spleen cells reduced 3 H‐TdK incorporation by approximately 50%, suggesting that some of the responding cells carried the theta antigen. Direct immunofluorescence showed that the non‐adherent nude spleen cells contained 6–9% theta‐positive cells. In comparison, more than 80% of the PHA‐induced nude blast cells were theta‐positive. PHA‐induced DNA synthesis of normal mouse spleen cells was inhibited by adherent nude spleen cells. No theta‐antigen or surface immunoglobulin could be demonstrated on these inhibitory cells, suggesting that they belong to the macrophage system of the nude mouse spleen.