MODULATION OF MURINE ERYTHROPOIESIS INVITRO BY SYNGENEIC THYMOCYTES - INTERACTIONS OF ENHANCING AND SUPPRESSING SUB-POPULATIONS WITH FLUORESCENT ANTI-THETA ANTIBODY AND POLYAMINO ACIDS

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 60  (4) , 845-850
Abstract
Cocultures of bone marrow cells with large numbers of syngeneic thymocytes enhance erythroid colony formation in plasma clots; cocultures with low numbers of thymocytes suppress erythroid colony formation. Evidence that the enhancing and suppressing functions of thymocytes are most likely mediated by at least 2 separate subpopulations is presented. When thymocytes were fractionated on the basis of cell surface density of the theta antigen, enhancing cells were limited to the high theta density fraction; suppressing cells were accumulated in the low theta density fraction. When thymocytes were fractionated on the basis of negative surface charge, the enhancing cells were recovered among the more negatively charged cells. A short in vitro incubation with polyamino acids selectively abrogated the suppressor function.