HELPER T-CELL ACTIVITY DEMONSTRATED BY THYMIC NURSE T-CELLS (TNC-T)

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 51  (2) , 269-273
Abstract
Culture supernatants of mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) between AKR [mouse] thymic nurse T cells (TNC-T) as responders and irradiated DBA/2 spleen cells as stimulators, induce significant proliferation of concanavalin A (Con A)-stimulated DBA/2 thymocytes. The culture supernatants of MLR using extra-TNC thymocytes (ET) as responders do not show this activity and the addition of thymus epithelium did not enable a response to take place. Unlike ET, TNC-T cells could also give a positive allogeneic response. Irradiated AKR TNC-T cells stimulated allogeneic BALB/c spleen B cells to produce Ig. Cells in the TNC-T pool are more mature than those in the ET pool.