title: Potentiation of the PFC response to thymus-independent antigens by heterologous erythrocytes.
abstract: Immunization with horse erythrocytes (HRBC) and a thymus-independent (TI) antigen of the TI-2 category, such as a native dextran, dinitrophenyl-dextran (DNP-dextran), or DNP-Ficoll, resulted in a three- to four-fold enhancement of the plaque-forming cell response to the TI antigen. The effect was found to be T-cell associated, since cyclosporin A abrogated enhancement. The T cells of T-cell factor involved were elicited early in the response to HRBC and acted on the initial stages of the TI response. The HRBC-induced potentiation affected only B cells activated by the TI antigen; it could not induce a TI response when TI-2 antigen was given under nonresponsive conditions; and it had only a slight effect on the response to a thymus-dependent (TD) antigen. A soluble TD antigen, bovine serum albumin-coupled dextran (BSA-dextran), did not have potentiating ability equivalent to that of the particulate HRBC. It was concluded that non-specific T-cell help can influence TI-2 responses when they are present simultaneously.
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent / Q000276:immunology*; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000494:pharmacology; D003911:Dextrans / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D006736:Horses; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent; D003524:Cyclosporins; D003911:Dextrans