title: Quantitation of functional T cells by limiting dilution.
abstract: Culturing by limiting dilution (LD) can be used to estimate the proportion of T cells in a cell preparation which can respond to an activating stimulus to produce interleukin 2 or to generate cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity. In the first basic protocol, IL-2-producing murine T cells are measured following stimulation by the mitogen Con A. This protocol can be modified as described in the first alternate protocol to quantitate responses to alloantigens, anti-CD3 antibody, protein antigens such as keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and viruses. The second alternate protocol provides a modification for using human responder cells. The second basic protocol is used for estimating the proportion of cells that can generate a clone of cytotoxic effector cells when stimulated by Con A with the addition of IL-2.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002999:Clone Cells; D003208:Concanavalin A; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D007201:Indicator Dilution Techniques; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis; D051379:Mice; D008934:Mitogens; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D008934:Mitogens; D003208:Concanavalin A