title: The separation of immunocyte subpopulations by use of various lectins.
abstract: The use of lectins for the enrichment of various lymphocyte subpopulations was investigated. Bauhinia purpurea lectin (BPA) was found to be effective for the enrichment of B cells, and the B cells thus obtained were further fractionated with lentil lectin into subsets showing high and low responses to dextran sulfate. The ability of various lectins to selectively induce suppressor T cell activity or helper T cell activity was also examined. The suppressor T cells thus induced were enriched peanut lectin and, conversely, the helper T cells were enriched with Limulus polyhemus lectin. This method was applied to analysis of age-dependent changes in the levels of suppressor and helper T cells in autoimmune-prone mice. Cytotoxic T cells induced in an allogeneic mixed lymphocyte culture were enriched with Dolichos biflorus lectin (DBA). These cytotoxic T cells showed a specific killing effect in vitro. However, when spleen cells of tumor-bearing mice were fractionated by use of DBA, the DBA- cells mediated the regression of the tumors in vivo. BPA was also found to be effective for the enrichment of the interleukin-2-producing T cell subset and macrophage precursor cells. Using this technique, bone marrow cells of autoimmune-prone MRL/1 mice were found to be rich in macrophage precursor cells.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D037102:Lectins; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D037102:Lectins