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ACTIVATED T LYMPHOCYTES EXPRESS NEW SURFACE DETERMINANTS WHICH REACT WITH HETEROLOGOUS ANTI‐B CELL SERUM
Author(s) -
Schirrmacher V.,
Festenstein H.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
international journal of immunogenetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.41
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1744-313X
pISSN - 1744-3121
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-313x.1975.tb00543.x
Subject(s) - cytotoxic t cell , microbiology and biotechnology , trypsinization , thymidine , oxazolone , antiserum , in vitro , antibody , biology , spleen , lysis , heterologous , chemistry , immunology , biochemistry , trypsin , gene , enzyme
SUMMARY Surface determinants on activated mouse T lymphocytes were investigated in a new radioassay. Activated cells were selectively labelled with 14 C‐thymidine and then treated with specific antibody and complement followed by trypsinization to disrupt the membranes and release radiolabelled DNA from specifically lysed cells ( 14 C‐thymidine release assay). T lymphocytes were activated in vitro (MLC and PHA) or in vivo (skin sensitization with oxazolone) and characterized by their sensitivity to the cytotoxic effect of anti‐θ serum. These cells were resistant to the cytotoxic effect of R anti‐MIg, a purified polyvalent anti‐mouse immunoglobulin serum, but were lysed by treatment with R anti‐MBLA, a rabbit anti‐mouse B lymphocyte serum. This cytotoxic activity could be absorbed with spleen cells from nude (nu/nu) mice but not with thymocytes. Furthermore, pretreatment of lymph node cells with R anti‐MBLA and complement before stimulation with PHA led to an increased PHA response, indicating that the serum reacted with normal B but not T lymphocytes. When these activated purified T lymphocytes were treated with R anti‐MBLA, as much 14 C‐thymidine was released from these cells as from unpurified control cells (>70%). The percentage of 14 C‐thymidine released from activated T cells by treatment with either anti‐θ serum or R anti‐MBLA was surprisingly similar and no significant additive effect was observed when the cells were treated with both antisera together. LPS activated B lymphocytes showed a different reactivity pattern with the antisera: they were lysed by R anti‐MBLA but not by anti‐θ serum while R anti‐MIg had an intermediate cytotoxic effect. An interpretation of these findings is offered which suggests that transformation of T lymphocytes is accompanied by derepression of certain genetic information and by the expression of new surface determinants, some of which may be identical with determinants which are otherwise expressed only on normal B lymphocytes.