Abstract
THYMUS-derived lymphocytes (T cells) are known to assist in the induction of antibody formation by bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (B cells) against a variety of antigens. In some antibody responses, however, T cells apparently suppress antibody synthesis by B cells1–4 although the mechanisms involved in this inhibitory cell interaction have not been well analysed. Most previous reports on suppressor T cells have dealt with nonspecific influences, while we have reported an antigen-specific inhibitory effect of T cells on IgE class homocytotropic antibody formation in the rat5. T cells obtained from carrier-primed donors exert a strong suppressive effect on the hapten-specific IgE antibody response of recipients immunized with the hapten on the same carrier, whereas cells obtained from donors immunized with an unrelated antigen showed no such inhibitory activity5. Thus the inhibitory cell interaction seemed to occur between carrier-specific T cells and hapten-specific B cells. Here we demonstrate a similar inhibitory cell interaction in an anti-hapten IgM antibody response in the mouse using a simple cell transfer technique. The results provide direct evidence that suppressor activity is exerted by thymocytes and θ-bearing spleen cells with definite carrier specificity.
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OKUMURA, K., TADA, T. Suppression of Hapten-specific Antibody Response by Carrier-specific T Cells. Nature New Biology 245, 180–182 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio245180a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio245180a0
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