FORMATION OF SPECIFIC ANTIBODY BY CIRCULATING CELLS

Abstract

The rate of antibody synthesis as measured by 14C-amino acid incorporation was estimated in thoracic duct lymph, buffy coat and spleen cells from rabbits hyperimmunized and boosted with human serum albumin (HSA). Cells from thoracic duct and buffy coat synthesized antibody in most experiments in small amounts, in two experiments in larger amounts. Spleen cells gave the highest values but also showed considerable variation from animal to animal. The comparison of antibody synthesis with the cellular composition of the different cell preparations led to the conclusion that the small percentage of pyroninophilic cells in lymph and buffy coat are responsible for the antibody synthesis and not the bulk of lymphocytes. Cell-bound antibody measured by fixation of radioactive HSA was found in spleen lymph and buffy coat cells. The major part of the detected cell-fixed antibody is presumably present on the surface of and within antibody-producing cells and not due to passively adsorbed cytophilic antibody on non-antibody-producing cells.