Characterization of Suppressor Cells in Mice Bearing Syngeneic Mastocytoma

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) Vol. 118; no. 2; pp. 412 - 417
• Main Authors: Takei, Fumio, Levy, Julia G, Kilburn, Douglas G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Am Assoc Immnol 01.02.1977
• Subjects: Animals; Centrifugation, Density Gradient; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; Epitopes; Female; Immunity, Cellular; Immunosuppression; Leukemia L1210 - immunology; Mast-Cell Sarcoma - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred DBA; Spleen - cytology
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.118.2.412
• ISSN: 0022-1767

Suppressor cells from syngeneic P815 mastocytoma-bearing DBA/2 mice that inhibit in vitro generation of specific anti-tumor cytotoxicity were characterized. Suppressive activity was almost completely eliminated by treating suppressive spleen cells with anti-theta serum and complement. Treatment with anti-mouse lg serum and complement or with carbonyl iron did not affect their suppressive activity. When suppressive thymocytes from P815 tumor-bearing DBA/2 mice were tested for their capacity to inhibit the generation of cytotoxicity against L1210 cells, a leukemia line in DBa/2 mice, they did not affect the activity, indicating that the supressor cells in the thymocytes of P815 tumor-bearing mice are specific to the tumor. When Ficoll-Hypaque density cell separation was carried out with cytotoxic spleen cells and suppressive spleen cells from 815 tumor-bearing mice, the dense fraction was enriched for kiler cells whereas the suppressive activitty was mainly recovered in the light fraction. Therefore, killer cells and suppressor cells in P815 tumor-bearing mice are thought to be distinct populations.