HETEROGENEITY OF B CELLS REACTING WITH T-CELL FACTORS - EVIDENCE FOR MATCHING T-CELL AND B-CELL SUBSETS

Abstract

Spleen T [thymus-derived] cells [from Balb/c mice] were stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A) under conditions which lead to the production of non-specific factor (NSF), a substance which replaces T cells for B[bone marrow-derived]-cell responses to certain antigens. The ability of multiple aliquots of B cells to react to the NSF derived from single T cells was examined; great heterogeneity of response was found. Subsets of T cells probably exist which vary in the quantity or the quality of the non-specific factor(s) they can produce on stimulation. There probably are matching subsets of B cells which may vary in their susceptibility to such factors.