HUMAN MONOCYTE FUNCTIONAL-HETEROGENEITY - MONOCYTE FRACTIONATION BY DISCONTINUOUS ALBUMIN GRADIENT CENTRIFUGATION

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 49  (2) , 231-238
Abstract
Human monocytes subserve many roles in the immune response. It is not clear whether this functional heterogeneity reflects the action of different monocyte subpopulations. Human blood monocytes were separated into distinct populations using a discontinuous (15-35%) serum albumin gradient technique to examine if any if a number of monocyte functions were preferentially expressed by these 5 monocyte subsets. Monocytes in the 25% and 30% albumin fractions possessed more Fc (IgG) and C3 [complement component 3] receptor activity than did monocytes in either of the 15, 20 or 35% fractions. Monocytes isolated in the more dense albumin fractions were enriched for the capacity to support pokeweed mitogen-induced B cell differentiation. All gradient fractions were equally capable of binding [human Burkitts'' lymphoma] Raji cells and inhibiting Raji cell incorporation of [3H]thymidine. Fractionation of monocytes by a discontinuous albumin gradient is an effective method to enrich for those monocytes with certain functional characteristics.