A KINETIC STUDY OF ANTIBODY PRODUCING CELLS IN SPLEEN OF MICE IMMUNIZED INTRAVENOUSLY WITH SHEEP ERYTHROCYTES

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  • 1 January 1968
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 14  (1) , 7-+
Abstract
The number of antibody producing cells, i.e. rosette forming cells (RFC) was studied in the spleen of mice injected intravenously with a full immunizing dose of sheep RBC. The spleen of a non-immunized mouse contains a background of about 70,000 RFC (normal RFC), which do not appear to be the "target cells" for antigens of sheep RBC. The spleen of a mouse may contain about 4000 "target cells" which initiate the immune response to sheep RBC. In the primary response, the rise of RFC is exponential for about 96 hr. with a doubling time of 13 hr. involving 7-8 consecutive doubling periods. The peak value of RFC is 1.6 x 106 spleen. In the secondary response, the doubling time of RFC is 6-7 hr. The exponential rise lasts 72 hr. and includes 9-11 doubling periods leading to a peak of 3.5 X 106 RFC/spleen. Adjuvant in the primary response leaves the doubling time of RFC unaltered but prolongs the exponential rise until the 120th hr. leading to a peak of 6.3 X 10[degree] RFC/spleen after 10 doubling periods. The effects of priming and adjuvant are not fully additive.