MOUSE PERITONEAL CELLS - THEIR ABILITY TO ELICIT OR PRODUCE ANTIBODY AFTER EXPOSURE TO ANTIGEN

  • 1 January 1968
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 14  (3) , 379-+
Abstract
The functional activities of peritoneal cells in exudates of normal mice were studied. Antigen-containing peritoneal cells were tested for their ability to induce antibody by transfer into normal syngeneic recipients . Collection of peritoneal cells at varying time intervals following intraperitoneal injection of formalin-killed pneumococci or capsular polysaccharide resulted in a decrease with time in the ability of these cells to induce antibody in the recipient mice. This finding could be ascribed to changes in the cell population in the peritoneum as a result of antigen administration rather than to loss of immunogenic material from these cells as indicated by experiments in which peritoneal cells collected 1/2-hr. after antigen administration were maintained in vitro for up to 24 hrs. The immunogenicity of carbohydrate antigen in these cells persists for at least 24 hrs. Morphological observations showed a drop in macrophages following antigen administration. Peritoneal exudates also contain immunocompetent cells. Recipient mice irradiated with 650-800 r which completely suppressed their antibody response were used. Peritoneal cells collected 2 hrs. after injection of formalin-killed pneumococci led to serum antibody in the irradiated recipients 7 days later. By partially fractionating peritoneal cells on glass surfaces, it could be shown that the cells not adhering to glass (lymphocytes and medium sized cells) were mainly responsible for this antibody response. Cells adhering to glass which contained most of the antigen-containing large macrophages and also medium sized cells were much less effective in inducing antibody. Peritoneal cells induced with thioglycollate medium consisting mainly of large macrophages and very few lymphocytes actively induced antibody in normal recipients but failed to restore antibody production in the highly irradiated mice. The transfer of antibody formation to irradiated mice is due to immunocompetent cells in normal peritoneal exudates.