Phytohemagglutin and concanavalin A: probes for murine 'T' cell activivation and differentiation

Effect of essential fatty acids on circulating T cell subsets in patients with colorectal cancer

The effect of essential fatty acids (EFA), given orally as dietary supplements, on the responsiveness in vitro of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), to the mitogen concanavalin A have been studied in 10 patients with localized and 14 patients with advanced colorectal cancer. The degree of lymphocyte activation was assessed by measuring the amount of tritiated [3H]thymidine incorporated into newly synthesised lymphocyte DNA. The results were expressed as stimulation indices. T cell responses to concanavalin A stimulation showed a significant reduction of stimulation indices following EFA supplementation, in both the localized (P = 0.026) and advanced (P = 0.016) tumour groups, when compared with pretreatment activity in vitro. Mixing experiments, using EFA-supplemented and non-EFA-supplemented lymphocytes with concanavalin A, suggest no enhancement of T suppressor cell activity. Cell surface marker analysis (fluorescence-activated cell sorting for CD phenotyping) revealed a reduction of absolute numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes following EFA supplementation. The stimulation indices returned to pre-supplementation values 3 months following cessation of EFA intake. There was no significant change of these indices in the control (no EFA supplementation) advanced tumour group tested. This study suggests that EFA supplementation in patients with colorectal cancer selectively reduces circulating PBL, and T cell subset (including suppressor cells) numbers and/or activity. Such effects may have an important outcome in patients with malignant disease.

A study of the proliferative response of rabbit T cells using the BrdU-Hoechst method

Con-A- and PHA-induced proliferation of cells from rabbit thymus, spleen and mesenteric lymph node was studied with the DNA-fluorescent probe 33258 Hoechst. The fluorescence of this probe is quenched when 5-bromo-2'-deoxy-uridine is incorporated into nascent DNA during the S phase. Fluorescence decreased with increasing content of newly formed DNA per cell. Proliferation kinetics and the number of Con-A- and PHA-reactive cells (C+ and P+ cells) were determined cytofluorometrically . Lymphocytes from control and dexamethasone (DX)-treated animals start their proliferation early: after 42 hr about 25% of the control and the majority of the DX-resistant cells finished their second cell division. Small numbers of C+ (12.0%) and P+ (3.5%) cells were found in control thymus, while these percentages were enhanced in DX thymus: 32.5 and 27.0% respectively; 50% of the spleen T cells in control and DX animals are C+ or P+ and 75% of the lymph-node T cells are C+ (after DX 45%) and 50% are P+ (after DX also 50%). It is concluded that in thymus and lymph nodes, a steroid sensitive (Ss) C+P-, and in lymph nodes a Ss C+P+ cell pool is present. A mitogen non-proliferative cell pool (C-P-) is present in control and DX thymus.

Cytogenetic replication studies on murine T-cell leukemias with special consideration to chromosome 15

Chromosomal replication was studied by means of the BrdU-Höchst-Giemsa-technique in three minute T-cell leukemias with special regard to chromosome 15. In all the three leukemic cell lines the normally early replicating band 15 E was undetectable whereas late replication in this region is completely unaltered. Furthermore, R-banding, the structural homologue of early replication banding, remains unchanged. This observation is interpreted as a shift in the time point of replication during the S-phase of region 15 E, though the exact timing of replication of this region in tumor chromosomes remains unresolved.

Enhanced adoptive transfer of immunity to Listeria monocytogenes after in vitro culture of murine spleen cells with concanavalin A

In vitro incubation of spleen cells with T-cell mitogens has been shown to augment cytotoxic and cytolytic T-cell function. The plant lectins Concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin were employed in a similar fashion to investigate their abilities to enhance cell-mediated immunity to the microbial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Spleen cells from immune mice were incubated in vitro with Concanavalin A or phytohemagglutinin before passive transfer into normal recipients. Results indicated a 10- to 100-fold enhancement in the ability of these cells stimulated in vitro to transfer antilisterial resistance, as assayed by changes in 50% lethal dose values and enumeration of splenic bacterial proliferation.

The glycoprotein isolated from vesicular stomatitis virus is mitogenic for mouse B lymphocytes

The glycoprotein (G protein) of VSV was purified from the intact virion by Triton X-100 extraction. The isolated G protein has been shown to be a T cell-independent, B lymphocyte mitogen and polyclonal activator. Neither G protein nor the intact virion are stimulatory for murine T lymphocytes. The greater the density of G protein in lipid vesicles or the degree of aggregation of isolated G protein, the more highly stimulatory it is for murine splenocytes. As G protein is spread out in artificial vesicles, it becomes less mitogenic. It is probable that other viral components are also stimulatory since the Triton-insoluble pellet and VSV from which the G protein has been enzymatically removed retain mitogenic activity. To out knowledge, this is the first time a purified viral component has been demonstrated to be lymphocyte mitogen.

Regulatory mechanisms in cell-mediated immune responses. IV. Expression of a receptor for mixed lymphocyte reaction suppressor factor on activated T lymphocytes

Suppression of the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) by a soluble factor produced by alloantigen-activated spleen cells requires genetic homology between the factor-producing cells and responder cells in MLR. The ability of lymphocytes used as MLR responder cells to adsorb MLR suppressor factor was tested to investigate the expression of a receptor structure for suppressor molecules. Normal spleen or thymus cells had no effect on suppressor activity. Concanavalin A (Con A)-activated thymocytes, however, effectively removed suppressor activity, suggesting that the receptor is expressed only after activation and is not present or not functional on resting cells. Significantly neither phytohemagglutinin- nor lipopolysaccharide-activated lymphoid cells absorbed the factor. Furthermore, only Con A-activated thymocytes demonstrating genetic homology with the cell producing suppressor factor for H-2 regions to the right of I-E were effective absorbants. Alloantigen-stimulated spleen cells syngeneic to the suppressor cell also removed suppressor activity. These data support an hypothesis that subsequent to stimulation in MLR, T lymphocytes express a receptor, either through synthesis or alteration of an existing molecular structure, which then provides the appropriate site for interaction with suppressor molecules.

Synergistic and suppressive interactions among mouse T lymphocytes in the response to phytohemagglutinin

A synergistic effect in the proliferative response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) can be observed in cultures containing a mixture of mouse CBA/Ca lymph node cells (LNC) and syngeneic CBA/T6T6 thymocytes (ThC) when compared to cultures containing only one cell type. This effect was analyzed, at various days of culture and in LNC-ThC mixtures of different ratios, by comparing the origin of the cells in mitosis (detected by caryotypic analysis), the stimulation of DNA synthesis, the number of blasts, and the percentage of blasts labeled after pulses of [3H]thymidine (detected by autoradiography). The following conclusions were reached: (a) ThC are induced to proliferate by the presence of LNC, while they are almost unresponsive to PHA when cultured alone; and (b) the strongest "synergistic" effect is exerted on LNC, whose proliferation is markedly enhanced. Evidence is presented that this last effect is not specific to the presence of ThC, but results from a dilution of LNC which retards the time when the culture reaches a critical concentration of blasts, above which proliferation progressively stops. Thus, conditions of culture allowing the response to PHA of a low concentration of LNC leads to the most prolonged T-cell proliferation. These observations may be relevant to the types of T-cell interactions, "synergistic" or "suppressive," occurring during in vitro or in vivo immune responses.

The Fc receptor on thymus-derived lymphocytes: II. Mitogen responsiveness of T lymphocytes bearing the Fc receptor

The responsiveness of purified Fc- and Fc+ T lymphocytes, isolated from normal spleen cell populations by cell sorting on the fluorescence activated cell sorter, has been examined. Although both Fc- and Fc+ T cells responded to phytohemagglutinin, the response to concanavalin A (Con A) was found to be a characteristic of the Fc+ T lymphocyte. The poor responsiveness of the Fc- T cells to Con A was shown not to be due to a requirement of either different concentrations of Con A or for adherent cells. The addition of Fc+ T cells to the Fc- T cells in a ratio of 1:3 resulted in a mitotic response not significantly different from that observed with the purified Fc+ T cells alone and up to 15-fold greater than that of Fc- T cells alone. It is suggested that the Fc T cells can be recruited into mitosis as a result of Con A stimulation of the Fc+ T cells.

Release of colony-stimulating activity from thymus-derived lymphocytes

Colony-stimulating activity (CSA) is essential for in vitro differentiation of bone marrow cells into colonies of granulocytes and mononuclear cells. While blood monocytes and macrophages are a major source of CSA, recent studies have indicated that CSA may be produced by lymphocytes responding to immunologic stimulation. Lymphocytes, purified from spleens and thymuses of mice by glass wool columns, were incubated in CMRL-1066 medium with fetal calf serum in vitro. Lymphocytes from the thumus and spleen released CSA when cultured in vitro, with peak levels of CSA observed after 7 days of incubation. Stimulation of cultures with phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, or pokeweed mitogen resulted in a 2-5-fold increase in CSA release, with peak levels of CSA released after 4 days of incubation. Thymus-dependent lymphocytes were responsible for the release of CSA from unstimulated and mitogen-stimulated cultures, since the incubation of these cultures with rabbit anti-mouse T cell sera abolished their ability to release CSA. Anti-mouse B cell sera had no effect on the ability of lymphocyte cultures to release CSA. These studies suggest that thymocytes and thymus-derived lymphocytes can release CSA in vitro and may be responsible for the increase in CSA observed in certain immunologic reactions.

The differentiation pathway of T lymphocytes. Evidence for two differentiated cell types

Two experimental models have been used to study T-cell differentiation. The first, a graft-vs.-host reaction, was induced by injecting thymocytes or cortisone-resistant thymocytes into lethally irradiated allogeneic mice. The second was tumor graft rejection in allogeneic hosts. Ultrastructural studies at various time intervals revealed two differentiated T-cell types. One of these (the "pale" cell) is probably high cytotoxic as measured in the chromium-release assay, the other (the "dark" cell) may be an "amplifier" cell, helping in the differentiation of cytotoxic cells.

Selective triggering of human T and B lymphocytes in vitro by polyclonal mitogens

Human lymphocytes from spleen and tonsils have been cultured with a variety of polyclonal mitogens. Cultures consisted of either unseparated T and B cells or alternatively purified T or B lymphocytes. The purity of the starting cell populations and the origin of activated lymphoblasts was analyzed with a panel of seven markers which discriminate between T and B cells. The selectivity of the lymphocyte responses was influenced by cell populations in a given culture, the mitogen used, and to a limited extent on culture conditions. Purified T lymphocytes from tonsil and spleen responded to phytohemagglutinin (PHA), pokeweed mitogen (PWM), and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). Purified B cells from spleen responded well to PWM, weakly to SEB and lipopolysaccharide, but not at all to PHA. Tonsil B cells responded weakly to PWM and SEB but not to PHA. Some B lymphocytes do respond to PHA in the presence of activated T cells. These results are discussed in relation to previously reported selective responses of human cells and parallel studies in animal species.

The mediator of cellular immunity. VII. Localization of sensitized lymphocytes in inflammatory exudates

Peritoneal exudates induced in rats infected with Listeria monocytogenes contain sensitized lymphocytes which can protect normal recipients against a Listeria challenge. The protective cells arise in lymphoid tissue remote from the peritoneal cavity. Those formed in the caudal lymph nodes of subcutaneously infected rats are delivered to the thoracic duct and hence to the blood from where they are drawn into exudates. Immunoblasts are the most immature members of this protective cell population and they alone among the cells in central lymph localize in exudates induced by killed bacteria. They do so in substantial numbers, but only during the early postinduction period. The "homing" of immunoblasts to inflammatory foci seems to be determined by a general property of the cells rather than their immunological commitment; however, the intense inflammation induced by organisms to which an animal has been specifically sensitized is accompanied by an exuberant influx of immunoblasts into lesions. Sensitized lymphocytes that extravasate in the inflamed peritoneal may generate more of their own kind, but some give rise to small lymphocytes. The latter also have protective properties and, with time, comprise an increasing portion of the protective cell population. The results imply that the tissue disposition of sensitized lymphocytes in the body is determined by a complementary relationship between blood-borne immunoblasts and vascular endothelium in inflamed tissue. The results also provide a plausible explanation for the concentration of sensitized lymphocytes at sites of microbial implantation where they alone would be expected to collaborate with monocyte-derived macrophages in the control of infection.

Maturation of the humoral immune response in mice

In spite of the prenatal appearance of immunoglobulin-bearing lymphocytes and theta-positive lymphocytes in the spleens of Swiss-L mice, these mice are not able to produce detectable levels of humoral antibodies in response to antigen until after 1 wk of age. Adult levels of response are not achieved until 4-8 wk of age. In the presence of bacterial lipopolysaccharides, which can substitute for or enhance T-cell function, the B cells from young Swiss-L mice were found to be indistinguishable in function from adult B cells, both with respect to the numbers of plaque-forming cells (PFC) produced in vitro in response to antigen and with respect to the kinetics of PFC induction. The spleen cells from young Swiss-L mice are significantly less sensitive than adult spleen cells, however, to stimulation by the T cell mitogens, concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Very few Con A-responsive cells could be detected at birth but the numbers increased sharply with age until 3 wk after birth. On the other hand, PHA-responsive cells could not be detected in the spleen until about 3 wk of age. The latter cells were found to respond also to Con A, but at a lower dose (1 microg/ml) than that required for the bulk of the Con A-responsive cells (3 microg/ml). The cells that respond both to PHA and to Con A appear in the spleen at about the time that Swiss-L mice acquire the ability to produce humoral antibodies, and these cells can be depleted from the spleen by the in vivo administration of antithymocyte serum. The development of humoral immune responses in these mice therefore appears to be correlated with the appearance of recirculating T lymphocytes that are responsive both to PHA and to Con A.

Cryoprotectant-induced redistribution of intramembranous particles in mouse lymphocytes

This study demonstrates, by freeze fracture, clustering of intramembranous particles caused by cryoprotectant treatment of intact unfixed mouse lymphoid cells. Both T and B cells react in a similar fashion, while similar clustering of particles is not observed in some other cell types. The intramembranous particles can be aggregated by incubating unfixed cells in glycerol or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) before freezing. The aggregation phenomenon is dependent on the length of time of exposure and the concentration of the cryoprotectants. Further, the cells remain viable and the cryoprotectant-induced clustering is completely reversible. Prefixation of glycerol-treated cells with glutaraldehyde prevents the formation of these particle clusters, and unfixed nonglycerinated cells show no clusters. Thin sections of cells exposed to glycerol or DMSO without previous fixation exhibit bizarre membrane alterations and numerous other degenerative changes. These observations stress the importance of prefixation of lymphoid cells before exposure to glycerol or DMSO, as well as indicate that the membrane characteristics of certain cell types may be probed by glycerol treatment of unfixed cells.

Specific murine B-cell activation by synthetic single-and double-stranded polynucleotides

The synthetic single- and double-stranded polynucleotides, poly I, poly C, and poly I.C, were shown to induce thymidine incorporation in six inbred strains of murine spleen cells. This stimulation was shown to be secondary to B-cell activation and not due to contamination of the polynucleotides with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The ability of poly I.C to act as a B-cell mitogen, in addition to its behavior as a thymic-independent antigen, suggested that these two phenomena may be related. The similarity of the molecular structure of poly I.C to LPS, a material which also acts as a thymic-independent antigen and a B-cell mitogen, supports the hypothesis that the polyvalent nature of these materials accounts for their functional interaction with murine B cells.

Stimulus-response in the mixed lymphocyte reaction

Mixed lymphocyte reactions occur when mouse spleen cell populations depleted of thymus-derived (T) lymphocytes are cultured with allogeneic target cells inactivated by mitomycin C or X irradiation, and when F(1) hybrid responder cells are cultured with inactivated parental target cells. These responses might be interpreted as indicating that T lymphocytes are not required for responsiveness and that F(1) lymphocytes recognize parental alloantigens. Data reported here indicate that the more likely explanation for these surprising results is that inactivated target cells recognize the "responding" cells and this recognition leads to the response observed.

Inhibitory and stimulatory effects of concanavalin A on the response of mouse spleen cell suspensions to antigen. II. Evidence for separate stimulatory and inhibitory cells

The addition of concanavalin A to mouse spleen cell suspensions can either inhibit or stimulate the immune response to heterologous erythrocytes according to the experimental conditions. Evidence is presented which is incompatible with the hypothesis that these two effects are mediated by a single cell and which favors the hypothesis of separate inhibitor and stimulatory cells.

Enumeration of activated thymus-derived lymphocytes by the virus plaque assay

Lymphocytes activated by antigens or mitogens acquire the capacity to replicate viruses, and the number of activated lymphocytes can be estimated by the virus plaque assay. Concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen produced 33-fold and 17-fold increases in virus plaqueforming cells (V-PFC), respectively, above background, while lipopolysaccharide produced only a 2- to 3-fold increase. T (thymus-derived lymphocyte)-depleted lymphocyte populations, derived from anti-theta-treated or nude (arthymic) mouse spleens, failed to produce V-PFC after culture with concanavalin A or pokeweed mitogen. The present studies thus demonstrate that the virus plaque assay measures activated T-lymphocytes.A dissociation between the V-PFC response and cell proliferation was previously observed in antigen-stimulated cells cultured in the presence of mitotic inhibitors. In the present studies, while stimulation of CBA (H2(k)) lymphocytes by DBA/2 (H2(d)) cells produced high levels of thymidine incorporation, lymphocyte target-cell cytotoxicity, and V-PFC, stimulation of BALB/c (H2(d)) lymphocytes against DBA/2 (H2(d)) cells resulted in even higher levels of thymidine incorporation with a virtual absence of cytotoxic lymphocytes or V-PFC. These results indicate that proliferation is not a sufficient condition for permitting lymphocytes either to exert cytotoxicity on target cells or to replicate viruses, and suggest that there may be a correlation between the development of V-PFC and cytotoxic lymphocytes. They are consistent with the view that there are at least two functional subpopulations of T-lymphocytes.