Induction of specific anti-guinea pig T cell sera in rabbits

Abstract

In an attempt to increase the specificity of antisera raised in rabbits against strain 2 guinea pig thymocytes and brain, the rabbits were screened for titres of natural antibodies to thymocytes and other lymphocytes. Although unimmunized rabbits commonly had moderate titres of cytotoxic antibodies to guinea pig thymocytes, occasional animals had low titres to thymocytes and moderate titres to bone marrow cells. Intravenous immunization of this latter group of rabbits with thymocytes led to the production of high titred anti-thymocyte sera which were easily made specific for thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells) by absorption with L2 C lymphoma, a bone marrow-derived lymphoma of strain 2 guinea pigs. Sera raised against guinea pig brain in complete Freund's adjuvant which had high titres of antibodies to both thymocytes and bone marrow cells could be made specific for T cells only with great difficulty. The cytotoxic activity of the anti-T cell serum could be absorbed by strain 2 thymocytes and brain homogenates, while high dilutions of this serum inhibited the formation of spontaneous rosettes between guinea pig lymphoid cells and normal rabbit erythrocytes.