Regulation of helper cell activity by specifically adsorbable T lymphocytes.
Mice immunized with soluble proteins such as human serum albumin (HSA) or ovalbumin (OA) develop in their spleens antigen-specific T and B lymphocytes. These populations of lymphocytes can be separated from each other by different means; e.g. treatment with anti-theta-antiserum and complement removes selectively T lymphocytes, whereas passage through glass bead columns coated with mouse immunoglobulin (Ig): anti-Ig complexes creates a relatively pure population of T lymphocytes. During the course of such separation studies it was observed that the helper capacity of HSA (or OA) immune mouse spleen cells after Ig:anti-Ig column passage frequently was higher than expected from the enrichment in theta-positive cells. In addition, after adsorption onto antigen coated Bio-Gel beads this effect was even more pronounced, i.e., and increase in the relative helper capacity of about 3 or 4 times compared with an increase in the content of theta-positive cells from about 30% to 40 to 50% after adsorption. The present results will demonstrate that the increased helper capacity was a specific phenomenon which was regulated by theta-positive cells. The regulatory cells specifically adsorbed onto antigen-coated Bio-Gel beads have not been successfully eluted by EDTA or excess-free antigen so far, and they were still adsorbed after pre-incubation with anti-Ig antibodies under conditions where specific B lymphocyte adsorption was almost prevented.
D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000494:pharmacology; D002469:Cell Separation; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000939:Epitopes; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D000939:Epitopes; D012709:Serum Albumin; D010047:Ovalbumin; D003165:Complement System Proteins