Frequency of influenza-responsive cytolytic T-lymphocyte precursors in the thymus and spleen of unprimed mice.
Limiting dilution culture conditions were established which allowed the differentiation and quantitation of influenza-specific cytotoxic T-cell precursors (CTL.Ps) from naive mouse spleen and thymus. One in 49,000 nucleated spleen cells and 1 in 40,000 thymocytes responded to stimulation with influenza-infected, anti-Thy 1.2 and complement-treated spleen cells, in the presence of ConA-stimulated cell supernatant, with the production of cytotoxic effector cells. These frequencies are 4- to 15-fold higher than those for influenza-responsive B cells in the relevant lymphoid compartments, and it is argued that major quantitative discrepancies may exist in the sizes of the B- and CTL-receptor repertoires.
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D002452:Cell Count; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes