0000000000660598
AUTHOR
K. Pfizenmaier
Postnatal development of functional T cell subsets in the mouse: a frequency analysis of mitogen reactive precursors of proliferating, of cytotoxic and of IL 2 producing T cells
In order to study the postnatal development of functional T cell subsets in the mouse, a mitogen-driven limiting dilution culture system was used for a precursor frequency analysis of proliferating, of cytolytic and of IL 2-producing T cells, respectively, present in spleen and thymus of mice from neonatal to adult age. In adult mice, the majority (up to 100%) of splenic T cells was capable to respond to Concanavalin A. In contrast, an up to tenfold lower frequency of mitogen-reactive precursors was found within positively selected Thy-1+ spleen cells of neonatal mice. Within this fraction of Con A reactive neonatal T cells, there was an apparent imbalance in the CTLp/PTLp ratio within the …
Quantitative representation of all T cells committed to develop into cytotoxic effector cells and/or interleukin 2 activity-producing helper cells within murine T lymphocyte subsets
A limiting dilution culture system based on stimulation with concanavalin A (Con A) has been used to study the quantitative distribution of helper and of cytotoxic precursor cells in Lyt-2-defined subpopulations of murine T cells. Virtually all of the selected Lyt-2+ and Lyt-2-T cells grow and expand to large clonal colonies within an 8-9-day culture period. Our data show that upon stimulation with Con A, 90% of the Lyt-2-T cells were capable to produce interleukin 2 (IL 2) activity. In addition, IL 2 activity is produced by 8-10% of Lyt-2+ T cells. However, at the clonal level, the average of the IL2 activity produced by Lyt-2+ T cells is about 8-fold less as compared to Lyt-2-T cells. Pre…