Abstract
Circumstantial evidence for the conversion of lymphocytes into macrophages has accumulated for half a century, but attempts to demonstrate this change in tissue cultures of isolated lymphocytes have met with failure. In these latter studies lymphocytes were exposed in columns to glass, silicon, cotton or nylon surfaces during their separation from granulocytes and monocytes. Other data suggest that either contact with a foreign surface is injurious to lymphocytes or an important minor population of lymphoid cells sticks to such surfaces. For example, column-separated lymphocytes are not agglutinated by isoantisera to leukocytes, and they transform poorly into blastoid cells upon specific stimulation in tissue culture.
Lymphocytes were therefore purified, without significant surface contact, by magnetic removal of ironladen phagocytes after incubation of whole defibrinated blood with micro-filings of iron. Erythrocytes were sedimented with the aid of gelatin. The resulting lymphocytes were agglutinated well by isoleukoagglutinins, and they underwent blastogenesis as readily as unseparated lymphocytes. One to 3 % macrophages regularly appeared in suspension cultures of these lymphocytes even though the preparations initially contained less than 0.2 % nonlymphoid nucleated cells. In monolayer cultures varying proportions of the lymphocytes attached to the surface and began to enlarge soon after culture. Other lymphocytes never did adhere to the glass. After one week most of the adherent cells had the typical morphologic features of macrophages and were phagocytic. It is apparent that at least one class of lymphocytes is capable of conversion into macrophages in the absence of nucleated cells. (Supported by NIH Grants AM-9112, AM-6469 and Tl HD-66) (SPR)
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Lischner, H., Vaughan, V. 70 Macrophage Formation from Isolated Lymphocytes in Tissue Culture. Pediatr Res 1, 218 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-196705000-00077
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-196705000-00077