Target cell heterogeneity in murine leukemia virus infection. II. Demonstration of Friend leukemia-virus-permissive and non-permissive subsets of splenic T cells.
The permissiveness of normal splenic lymphocytes to Friend murine leukemia virus was determined by enumeration of cells producing infectious MuLV following infection with Friend virus in vitro. The infection was enhanced greatly in the presence of mitogens in the culture medium. The number of infected cells in cultures stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide increased progressively between days 1 and 7 whereas in cultures with concavalin A, the number of infected cells reached a maximum on days 3-4 post infection and then declined to the level observed in unstimulated cultures. The con-A-enhanced infection was absent in cultures of splenocytes from nude mice but was present in cultures from nude mice implanted with thymus glands 6 weeks or more before use as donors of spleen cells. The cells permissive to MuLV upon con-A stimulation segregated in the nylon-wool-adherent fraction (together with B cells involved in the LPS-dependent infection) whereas the nylon-non-adherent fraction, containing approximately 90% T cells, was refractory to in vitro infection. The con-A-dependent infectious centers were inhibited by cytotoxic treatment with anti-Thy 1.2 antibody plus complement. These results indicate the existence of two subpopulations of splenic T cells, a major nylon-non-adherent and a minor, nylon-adherent subpopulation, which are, respectively, non-permissive and permissive to MuLV-Friend.
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D005622:Friend murine leukemia virus / Q000187:drug effects*; D007942:Leukemia, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
D008934:Mitogens