Lymphoid cell dependence of eosinophil response to antigen. VI. The effect of selective removal of T or B lymphocytes on the capacity of primed spleen cells to adoptively transferred immunity to tetanus toxoid.

  • 1 February 1975
    • journal article
    • Vol. 28  (2) , 243-51
Abstract
Spleens from mice primed with tetanus toxoid 30 days earlier contain memory cells capable of adoptively transferring secondary type cell-mediated (eosinophil) and humoral (antitoxin) responses to irradiated, reconstituted recipients. Spleen cells derived from 10-day-primed donors, on the other hand, possess the capacity after transfer to elicit secondary type eosinophil responses, but not anamnestic antitoxin responses. Treatment of 30-day-primed cells with anti-theta serum and C' prevented transfer of memory for both responses, whereas similar treatment with rabbit anti-mouse IgG (RAM-IgG) serum and C' only inhibited transfer of memory for the antitoxin response. Addition of non-primed spleen cells to antisera-treated primed cells failed to restore secondary type responses. Recombination of 30-day-primed anti-theta and RAM-IgG-treated cells re-established the capacity to transfer these responses. To determine whether the same T cells which mediate the eosiniphil response also act as helper cells in antitoxin production, antisera treated 10- and 30-day-primed cells were combined prior to transfer. Ten-day-primed T cells induced eisoniphil responses and also co-operated with 30-day-primed B cells to produce antitoxin. In contrast, 30-day-primed T cells elicited eisinophil responses, but were unable to induce antitoxin production when combined with anti-theta-treated 10-day-primed cells. These results indicate that B memory cells are not present in the spleens of the donor mice 10 days after priming, but T memory cells are present. It is concluded that primed T cells mediated both eosinophil and antitoxin responses, while B memory cells are involved only with antitoxin production. Following subcutaneous priming T memory cells are present in the spleen prior to B memory cells, and T memory cells which mediate the eosinophil response at 10 days after priming also augment the production of antitoxin by B memory cells.