title: Mycoplasma mimicry of lymphokine activity in T-cell lines.
abstract: During screening of T-T hybridomas for B-cell-stimulating factors (BSF) we found in the conditioned medium of such a line (TUH-14) an activity that turned out to cosediment with a contaminating strain of Mycoplasma arginini on centrifugation. Since it only affected B blasts and only to a minor extent small cells and since it did not induce immunoglobulin secretion, the mycoplasma strain seemed to mimic a BSF. M. arginini was also found in two other T-T hybridoma producer lines but not in a clone of the EL-4 line. Three other M. arginini isolates were not stimulatory for B cells. The presented results point towards the importance of careful control for mycoplasma contamination in established cell lines.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D003470:Culture Media / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D006825:Hybridomas / Q000276:immunology; D015847:Interleukin-4; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D006133:Growth Substances; D008222:Lymphokines; D015847:Interleukin-4