INDUCTION OF T LYMPHOCYTES FROM PRECURSOR CELLS IN VITRO BY A PRODUCT OF THE THYMUS

A product of mouse thymus induces cells found in the spleen and bone marrow of nu/nu mice (which lack a thymus), and in 14-day embryonic mouse liver, to differentiate in vitro into T lymphocytes (defined as cells bearing TL and Thy-1 antigens). Thus the in vitro T lymphocyte induction mechanism acts on a cell that is antecedent to any thymus-mediated process

IMMUNOGLOBULIN AND OTHER SURFACE ANTIGENS OF CELLS OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Immunoglobulins (Ig) on cells of the immune system: The cytotoxicity test, with class-specific and type-specific anti-Ig sera, identifies κ and µ determinants on mouse lymphocytes. The proportion of κ+ cells is characteristic for each source of cells: 30% of bone marrow cells, 40% of cells from peripheral lymph nodes, 45% of lymphocytes from peripheral blood or peritoneal cavity, and 50% of spleen cells. No Ig was demonstrable on thymocytes or on leukemia cells (most of which arise from thymus-derived [T] cells). Cytotoxicity tests were performed on various myelomas secreting different Ig; the only positive reactions were given by κγ1 myelomas (all four κγ1 myelomas tested were sensitive to both anti-κ and anti-γ1). Hemolytic plaque-forming cells (PFC) of IgG type had no demonstrable surface Ig, but a proportion of IgM PFC were κ+µ+. Virtually all rosette-forming cells (RFC) have surface Ig, more than 90% of them being inhibited by anti-κ, 50% by anti-µ, and 10–30% by antisera to other heavy chains. Anti-λ sera gave no positive reactions with any cell type, which is in keeping with the low level of this light chain in mouse serum. Ig and other differentiation antigens as markers for T and B cells: Thymocytes are hallmarked by the alloantigens TL, θ, and the Ly series, and it is generally held that extrathymic lymphoid cells that bear them are derived from thymocytes. There is one alloantigen marker for the thymus-independent (B) cell, and that is PC, which appears late in differentiation. (The mouse-specific lymphocyte (MSLA) and mouse-specific bone marrow-derived lymphocyte (MBLA) antigens recognized by heteroantisera, not used in the present study, are other candidates for T and B cell markers.) Making use of antisera to these surface antigens to inhibit the function of cells that carry them, we find the following: Approximately 30% of RFC, 60% of IgM PFC, and 90% of IgG are PC+ and so are identified as B cells. No T markers were demonstrable on these cell populations. Thus if T cells do become RFC or PFC they presumably lose their T surface markers in the process (cf. the quantitative reduction of T markers accompanying the thymocyte → lymphocyte transition). Cells that have the potential to initiate graft-versus-host (GVH) reactions have the T cell surface phenotype θ+Ig-. Adoptive transfer of thymus-dependent antibody-forming capacity (response to sheep erythrocytes) required θ+ cells but transfer of a thymus-independent immune response to Brucella antigen did not. Cells with surface Ig were involved in both types of adoptive transfers. Thus the presently available T markers do not provide evidence for T cells carrying surface Ig. Suppression of the Ig phenotype by antibody: antigenic modulation? A phenotypic change from Ig+ to Ig- occurs when Ig+ lymphocytes or myeloma cells are incubated with anti-Ig sera in vitro in the absence of complement (C). As with antigenic modulation in the TL system, which it resembles, this phenomenon is temperature dependent and in the case of lymph node cells (LNC) can be inhibited by high doses of actinomycin D

‘O sibling, where art thou?’ – a review of avian sibling recognition with respect to the mammalian literature

Avian literature on sibling recognition is rare compared to that developed by mammalian researchers. We compare avian and mammalian research on sibling recognition to identify why avian work is rare, how approaches differ and what avian and mammalian researchers can learn from each other. Three factors: (1) biological differences between birds and mammals, (2) conceptual biases and (3) practical constraints, appear to influence our current understanding. Avian research focuses on colonial species because sibling recognition is considered adaptive where ‘mixing potential’ of dependent young is high; research on a wider range of species, breeding systems and ecological conditions is now needed. Studies of acoustic recognition cues dominate avian literature; other types of cues (e.g. visual, olfactory) deserve further attention. The effect of gender on avian sibling recognition has yet to be investigated; mammalian work shows that gender can have important influences. Most importantly, many researchers assume that birds recognise siblings through ‘direct familiarisation’ (commonly known as associative learning or familiarity); future experiments should also incorporate tests for ‘indirect familiarisation’ (commonly known as phenotype matching). If direct familiarisation proves crucial, avian research should investigate how periods of separation influence sibling discrimination. Mammalian researchers typically interpret sibling recognition in broad functional terms (nepotism, optimal outbreeding); some avian researchers more successfully identify specific and testable adaptive explanations, with greater relevance to natural contexts. We end by reporting exciting discoveries from recent studies of avian sibling recognition that inspire further interest in this topic

A comparison of cryopreservation methods: Slow-cooling vs. rapid-cooling based on cell viability, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and CD34+ enumeration of human umbilical cord blood mononucleated cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The finding of human umbilical cord blood as one of the most likely sources of hematopoietic stem cells offers a less invasive alternative for the need of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Due to the once-in-a-life time chance of collecting it, an optimum cryopreservation method that can preserve the life and function of the cells contained is critically needed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Until now, slow-cooling has been the routine method of cryopreservation; however, rapid-cooling offers a simple, efficient, and harmless method for preserving the life and function of the desired cells. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of slow- and rapid-cooling to preserve umbilical cord blood of mononucleated cells suspected of containing hematopoietic stem cells. The parameters used in this study were differences in cell viability, malondialdehyde content, and apoptosis level. The identification of hematopoietic stem cells themselves was carried out by enumerating CD34⁺in a flow cytometer.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results showed that mononucleated cell viability after rapid-cooling (91.9%) was significantly higher than that after slow-cooling (75.5%), with a <it>p </it>value = 0.003. Interestingly, the malondialdehyde level in the mononucleated cell population after rapid-cooling (56.45 μM) was also significantly higher than that after slow-cooling (33.25 μM), with a <it>p </it>value < 0.001. The apoptosis level in rapid-cooling population (5.18%) was not significantly different from that of the mononucleated cell population that underwent slow-cooling (3.81%), with a <it>p </it>value = 0.138. However, CD34⁺enumeration was much higher in the population that underwent slow-cooling (23.32 cell/μl) than in the one that underwent rapid-cooling (2.47 cell/μl), with a <it>p </it>value = 0.001.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Rapid-cooling is a potential cryopreservation method to be used to preserve the umbilical cord blood of mononucleated cells, although further optimization of the number of CD34⁺cells after rapid-cooling is critically needed.</p

“Working the System”—British American Tobacco's Influence on the European Union Treaty and Its Implications for Policy: An Analysis of Internal Tobacco Industry Documents

Katherine Smith and colleagues investigate the ways in which British American Tobacco influenced the European Union Treaty so that new EU policies advance the interests of major corporations, including those that produce products damaging to health

Genetic analysis of an H-2 mutant, B6.C-H-2 ba , using cell-mediated lympholysis: T- and B-cell dictionaries for histocompatibility determinants are different

B6.C-H-2 ba [H (z1)] is a mutant derived from C57BL/6. The two strains mutually reject their skingrafts and are incompatible in the mixed leucocyte reaction (MLR) and in cell-mediated lympholysis (CML) assays. They are serologically indistinguishable.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46732/1/251_2005_Article_BF01564084.pd

Linkage in mice of genes controlling an immunoglobulin kappa-chain marker and the surface alloantigen Ly-3 on T lymphocytes

Evidence obtained using recombinant inbred and congenic mouse strains has shown that the PC8 locus responsible for determining a marker on a single k chain in inbred mice is linked to the Ly - 2,3 locus on chromosome 6. The upper limit of the map distance between these loci is approximately three centimorgans. This finding is discussed in relation to other known light-chain variants that are associated with the Ly - 2,3 locus.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46753/1/251_2005_Article_BF01563929.pd