title: Differential effects of azathioprine on T cells regulating murine B-cell function.
abstract: We describe selective effects of azathioprine (Az) on T-cell subpopulations regulating the primary in vitro antibody response of mouse spleen cells to the T-independent antigen TNP-polyacrylamide. This response is susceptible to the effect of two kinds of non-specific suppressor cells: (i) spontaneously-induced suppressor, generated after 4-5 days culture in the presence of 2 micrograms/ml of concanavalin A (Con A). Indeed, both these precultured cells lead to a cell dose-dependent suppression of the anti-TNP response when transferred at the initiation of antigen-stimulated fresh cell cultures. T cells are the effectors of both these suppressions and seem to directly suppress the B-cell response. We tested the in vitro effect of Az (10(-1) micrograms/ml) on the generation of these two sets of suppressors. Whereas that of Con-A-induced suppressors proves to be resistant, that of spontaneously-induced T suppressors is totally prevented by the addition of Az in the preculture medium. Instead, Az treatment allows the manifestation of a spontaneously-induced helper T cell, simultaneously generated, which is able to increase a T-independent antibody response and quite resistant to the in vitro effect of Az. Thus, this study demonstrates that different subpopulations of T lymphocytes regulating the B-cell antibody response exhibit a selectivity to Az, implying different cell proliferation requirements and/or different cellular origin.
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D000099166:Polyacrylamides
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D000941:Antigens; D001379:Azathioprine; D003208:Concanavalin A; C028795:trinitrophenyl polyacrylamide; D000099166:Polyacrylamides