Failure of T cells specific for strong histocompatibility antigens to cooperate with B cells for a humoral response.
Thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells) selected for reactivity to strong histocompatibility antigens over a period of one to twelve months in vitro were tested for their ability to cooperate  with bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (B cells) for a humoral response. If cultured with normal syngeneic or allogeneic spleen cells and sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) as immunogen, inhibition of the anti-SRBC response was observed. Similarly, in T cell-free spleen cells the alloreactive T cells did not stimulate a humoral response, indicating that they cannot exert cooperative activity on B cells. Since it was possible that the alloreactive T cells may cooperate with B cells in a humoral response to immunogens carrying histocompatibility antigens, hapten-coupled tumor cells were also used as immunogen. Though it is demonstrated that the alloreactive T cells do recognize the tumor cell immunogen, no stimulation of the B cells for a humoral response against the tumor cell is observed. This result, as well as the finding that the antigenic requirements for T helper cell priming and cell proliferation of the alloreactive T cells are different, suggests that these alloreactive T cells and helper T cells belong to different T cell subsets.
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D007109:Immunity; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D012515:Mast-Cell Sarcoma / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000276:immunology; D012756:Sheep; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology
D000939:Epitopes; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes