Cell Surface-Associated Gamma Globulins in Lymphocytes

Abstract

Abstract The reverse immune cytoadherence technique (RICA) which detects surface-associated γ globulins on lymphocytes was used to study the effect of antigenic stimulation on γ globulin-carrying lymphocytes. Six hours after administration of antigen in Freund's complete adjuvant there is a marked increase in γ globulin-carrying cells (by 8 to 10% of the spleen cells or 25% of γ globulin-carrying cells before immunization). A similar increase was produced in vitro by treating normal spleen cells with serum obtained 6 hr after antigenic stimulation and likely represents the attachment of a cytophilic γ globulin to cells previously not carrying surface γ globulin. Adjuvant is important for the induction of this increase by soluble antigens but particulate antigens in saline can induce similar changes. These changes are not related to the distinction of the antigens according to their degree of dependency on the thymus for an immune response. The number of γ globulin-carrying cells decreased dramatically by 24 hr and reached its lowest point at 15 days when the γ globulin-carrying cells decreased by 50% of the normal levels of γ globulin-carrying cells. The decrease of the γ globulin-carrying cells does not depend on the presence of adjuvant. It is suggested that this phenomenon may represent the loss of surface γ globulins from lymphocytes after the antigenic encounter. All plasma cells examined in this study by RICA showed no surface γ globulin. According to the results presented here it is obvious that antigen affects a very large cell population.