Effect of protein deficiency on suppressor cells

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Abstract
The effects of moderate protein deficiency on the in vitro response of spleen cells to phytohemagglutinin [PHA] in A/Jax mice were studied. The response of spleen cells from protein-deficient mice to PHA was enhanced as compared with that of cells from control animals. Since inadequate development or function of suppressor cells in the protein-deficient mice offered a possible explanation for the enhanced lymphoproliferative activity, cocultures of spleen cells from protein-deficient and control animals were tested for their responses to PHA. Suppression of [3H]thymidine incorporation was detected in cocultures of 25% mitomycin-treated spleen cells from control animals and 75% spleen cells from protein-deficient mice. The suppressor (regulator) elements in control spleens resided in the adherent cell population.