Appearance of a Cell Surface Antigen Associated with the Activation of Peritoneal Macrophages in Mice

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Abstract
A relatively large population of murine peritoneal exudate macrophages induced with viable BCG or heat‐killed Corynebacterium parvum was stained by the antiserum prepared against purified gangliotetraosyl ceramide (asialo GM1), while only a small population of peritoneal resident macrophages or peritoneal exudate macrophages induced with proteose peptone was stained. The cytotoxicity assay of those macrophages with anti‐asialo GM1 plus complement supported these results. Peritoneal macrophages induced with BCG or C. parvum showed strong cytotoxicity for EL4 cells in vitro, while resident or peptone‐induced peritoneal macrophages showed no cytotoxicity. BCG‐ or C. parvum‐induced peritoneal cells contained both NK cells and cytotoxic macrophages, and either in vivo or in vitro pretreatment of the cells with anti‐asialo GM1 and complement abolished the activities of both types of cells. Peptone‐induced peritoneal macrophages incubated with lymphokines (LK) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were cytotoxic for EL4 cells and contained an increased number of cells stained by anti‐asialo GM1. The cytotoxicity of these in vitro activated macrophages was reduced by treatment with anti‐asialo GM1 plus complement. When peptone‐induced peritoneal macrophages were incubated with LK, the number of cells stained by anti‐Ia antiserum increased, but the number did not increase when the macrophages were incubated with LPS. Pretreatment of peptone‐induced macrophages with anti‐asialo GM1 plus complement did not affect the ability of the macrophages to be activated by LK. These results taken together strongly suggest that the antigen (s) reactive with anti‐asialo GM1 is expressed on the cell surface of cytotoxic peritoneal macrophages in mice.