SPECIFIC BLASTOGENESIS AND LYMPHOKINE PRODUCTION IN DNCB-SENSITIVE HUMAN LEUKOCYTE-CULTURES STIMULATED WITH SOLUBLE AND PARTICULATE DNP-CONTAINING ANTIGENS

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 23  (3) , 481-490
Abstract
A soluble hapten (dinitrobenzene sulfonic acid [DNBSO3]) and particulate antigens consisting of DNCB [dinitrochlorobenzene], DNFB [dinitrofluorobenzene] or DNBSO3 complexed with erythrocytes, all induce a specific blastogenic response and lymphokine production in leukocyte cultures from human subjects topically sensitized to DNCB. While low concentrations (50-100 .mu.g/ml) of DNBSO3 could be left in human leukocyte cultures the entire 4 or 5 days of culture and result in reasonable levels of blastogenesis, consistently higher degrees of blast transformation resulted when DNCB-sensitive leukocytes were exposed to high concentrations of DNBSO3 (500 .mu.g/ml) for a short period (2 h). Cell-free supernatants from DNCB-sensitive leukocyte cultures harvested after 48 h induced blastogenesis and DNA synthesis in secondary target leukocyte cultures from subjects not sensitized to DNCB. Such a blastogenic factor or lymphokine appeared to stimulate even in the absence of any residual antigen, since DNCB complexed to erythrocytes was removed by simple filtration through a 0.45 .mu. Millipore filter. The antigenic activity of DNBSO3 complexed with erythrocytes was not removed by such filtration. Several DNP-containing haptens (DNCB, DNFB, DNBSO3) induce specific lymphocyte transformation and lymphokine production when exposed in several different manners to leukocytes from humans sensitized to DNCB. The ability to use a particulate or soluble stimulant in vitro offers a versatile system for studying cell-mediated immunity in humans with a broad range of potential applicability in investigative and clinical medicine.