Heterogeneous and monoclonal helper T cells induce similar anti-(4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl (NP) antibody populations in the primary adoptive response. I. Isotype distribution.

In the response to NP-lipopolysaccharide or NP-Ficoll predominantly anti-NP antibodies of the IgM class are produced in mice with lower amounts of IgG3 and IgG2b but little or no IgG1 and IgG2a. In contrast, in the primary T-dependent response to NP-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) or NP-chicken gamma globulin high amounts of all IgG isotypes are induced. To investigate whether isotype-specific T cells are responsible for these differences we carried out cell transfer experiments using carrier-specific T cell lines. Two such lines were established and one of the two could be cloned. Upon activation by antigen the T cell lines induced unprimed syngeneic splenic B cells to proliferate and differentiate into antibody-secreting cells in vitro in an antigen-nonspecific way. Antigen-specific activation of unprimed B cells in a cell transfer system in vivo showed that high concentrations of hapten-specific antibodies of all IgG isotypes are induced through both carrier-specific T helper lines. The isotypic pattern of these antibodies is similar to that produced via heterogeneous splenic T cells in the cell transfer system, or in normal animals on immunization with the same antigen. These results suggest that isotype-specific T cells are not required for the production of IgG isotypes in a primary anti-NP response and thus not responsible for the differences seen in isotypic patterns between T-dependent and T-independent responses.

Mycoplasma contamination in human tumor cell lines: effect on interferon induction and susceptibility to natural killing.

Cleaning of human tumor cell lines from arginine-dependent nonfermentative Mycoplasma orale 1 (MO1) by a recently developed technique profoundly altered several in vitro properties of the cell lines. Four melanoma lines (Mel I, Mel St, Mel K, IGR3) and 1 ovarian carcinoma line (Ro) induced human leukocyte interferon (IFN-alpha) only in the mycoplasma-infected state and not in the mycoplasma-free state. MO1-infected tumor lines were generally more susceptible to natural killer (NK) cell-mediated lysis than their mycoplasma-free counterparts. Reinfection of cleaned tumor lines with MO1 restored their interferonogenicity and the increased susceptibility to NK lysis. Thus, the amplifying role of MO1 infection on NK target lysis occurred in connection with an increased production IFN-alpha during the assay period. The human erythroleukemia cell line K562 was exceptional in that it also induced high levels of IFN in an apparently mycoplasma-free state and was unaffected in its susceptibility ot NK lysis by infection with MO1. Possible implications of these findings for the biologic significance of the NK reaction are discussed.