SPONTANEOUS DEVELOPMENT OF PLAQUE-FORMING CELLS AGAINST SHEEP ERYTHROCYTES BY MOUSE PERITONEAL CELLS IN CULTURE

  • 1 January 1975
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. C126  (2) , 231-238
Abstract
If cultured over 10 days, peritoneal cells from different strains, CBA/J, C3H, C57Bl, DBA/2, Balb/C, NZB and congenitally athymic Nude mice developed high numbers of plaque-forming cells against sheep erythrocytes (up to 13% of the recovered viable cells at day 6) without being triggered by antigen. Plaque forming cells could be demonstrated by all methods of local hemolysis (agarose, liquid medium, CMC [cell mediated cytotoxicity]). This capacity increased with age of the donor mice. The phenomenon is immunological, as plaque formation could be inhibited by specific antimouse IgM [immunoglobulin M] serum and is complement-dependent. It also displays immunological specificity. The erythrocytes from sheep, goat and cows, which cross react when tested in the classical mouse immune spleen cell system, gave hemolytic plaques with cultured mouse peritoneal cells, while horse, rabbit and rat erythrocytes, noncross reacting with sheep erythrocytes in the classical immune system, gave no plaques with peritoneal cells. The removal of cells adherent to glass did not diminish the ability of the peritoneal cell population to form plaques against sheep erythrocytes. Peritoneal lymphocytes may constitute a highly specialized population of already programmed cells which become derepressed when removed from their natural environment and exposed to cell culture conditions.