title: Primary and secondary in vitro immune response of the rabbit Peyer's patch and spleen to RDEC-1 pili.
abstract: The culture conditions and cellular requirements for antigen-induced B-cell activation of the rabbit Peyer's patch and spleen using the RDEC-1 pilus antigen were delineated. It was found that optimal conditions for both primary and secondary in vitro immunization are similar except for culture duration. Optimal cell density was 3 X 10(6) cells/ml and optimal antigen dose was 30 to 100 ng/ml. Antibody production was best carried out in flat-bottom culture plates. Both T cells and glass-plate-adherent cells (macrophages) were required for antigen induced antibody production for both the primary and secondary responses. Of note was the inability to induce a primary antibody response in the spleen cell cultures. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the system in elucidating some of the complex in vitro events associated with primary and secondary, antigen-specific B-cell activation of the rabbit Peyer's patch to RDEC-1 pili and the ability of rabbit spleen cell cultures to respond to RDEC-1 pilus antigen only after in vivo challenge.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Axelrod
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors