Specific and Nonspecific Immunoregulatory Events in the Clonal Response of Human Lymphocytes in Vitro

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Abstract
Stimulation of sensitive leukocyte populations with near optimal concentrations of soluble microbial antigens results in vigorous lymphocyte proliferation when 3H-thymidine incorporation is measured after 4-8 days. Lymphoblasts in these cultures revert to small lymphocytes after 10-14 days, at which time they are often refractory to any stimulant including the original incubating antigen. When these primed lymphocytes are irradiated with 500-1000 R to block their proliferation and added to fresh leukocyte culture from the same individual (autologous), they usually reduce proliferation of the unirradiated fresh leukocyte cultures. Exposure to 6000 R reduced the suppressor activity. Reduction was specific for the microbial antigen with which they were originally generated, but more often, a combination of both specific and nonspecific suppression was observed. These data provide good evidence, with reciprocal specificity, for generation of antigen specific suppression in vitro.

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