Abstract
The magnitude of the in vitro lymphocyte blast transformation response induced by anti-allotypic sera may be greatly increased by adding a second anti-allotypic serum that reacts with the first antiserum. This “piggy-back” augmentation effect is produced by a second anti-allotypic serum that does not react directly with the lymphocytes in culture, but rather with an allotypic serum that does react with the lymphocyte. For example, if a2a2b6b6 lymphocytes are first treated with an anti-Aa2 serum raised in an a1a1b6b6 rabbit, a certain blast transformation response will occur. When an anti-Aal serum raised in an a3a3b6b6 rabbit is also added, a significant increase in the blast transformation response occurs (augmentation). This augmentation effect suggests that the induction of lymphocyte blast transformation may require the close approximation of two antibody molecules reacting with a given lymphocyte.
Footnotes
This work was supported in part by United States Public Health Service Research Grants AI-07125 and AI-07712, by Research Career Development Award AI-23308 from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, and by the Medical Research Council of Great Britain. This work was undertaken during the term of a Travel Fellowship awarded to Dr. Sell by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
