Plasticity of T-cell function. II. Transient induction of CD8 (Ly-2) expression in cloned EL-4 lymphoma cells depending on cell density.
EL-4 lymphoma cells are able to suppress the primary humoral immune response of spleen cells to sheep erythrocytes or 4-hydroxy-3-iodo-5-nitrophenylacetyl-keyhole limpet haemocyanin (NIP-KLH) in vitro. Typically, the cells suppress very efficiently in small numbers, but lose this capacity as the numbers increase. Three clones were analysed and this fluctuation in function was paralleled by a fluctuation in the expression of CD8 (Ly-2). Clones were incubated for 2 days, starting from different seeding concentrations, and analysed with cytofluorography. Neither Thy-1 nor CD5 (Ly-1), H-2 K, H-2 D, LFA-1 (all positive) nor CD4 (L3T4) or MEL-14 (both negative) were influenced by this treatment. In contrast, cells were CD8- at high seeding concentrations, and CD8+ at low seeding concentrations. When cell cultures grew to higher densities, the cells again lost the capacity to express CD8. Experiments testing the suppressive capacity of individual EL-4 clones after preculture at different densities or in the presence of antibodies against CD8 suggest that the efficiency of suppression may well be correlated to the amount of CD8 expressed.
Melchers
I
I
Max Planck Institute for Immunobiology, Freiburg, FRG.
Rodewald
H R
HR
Rzepka
R
R
D000818:Animals; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002999:Clone Cells; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D016827:CD8 Antigens