PMID: 6162888Apr 1, 1981Paper

Autoimmune rat T lymphocytes monospecific for acetylcholine receptors: purification and fine specificity

The Journal of Immunology : Official Journal of the American Association of Immunologists
R HohlfeldH Wekerle

Abstract

We prepared highly purified acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-specific T lymphocytes from rats with experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). Inbred rats were primed with AChR frm 3 different sources: from the electric organs of Electrophorus electricus and Torpedo californica and from denervated rat muscle. After 20 to 30 days, lymphocytes from regional lymph nodes (primary cells) were challenged with soluble AChR in vitro. The activated blast cells were isolated by density gradient centrifugation and allowed to revert back to small secondary lymphocytes in the absence of antigen. These secondary anti-AChR cells were highly responsive to the type of AChR with which they had been primed. Their reactivity critically depended on help by syngeneic accessory cells. Anti-Electrophorus AChR primary and secondary cells cross-reacted detectably with rat AChR and vice versa, whereas anti-Torpedo AChR primary and secondary cells did not significantly cross-react with Electrophorus or rat AChR. Secondary T cells strongly reactive against rat AChR could be selected in vitro from Electrophorus AChR-primed populations by using rat AChR as selecting stimulant. These cells responded equally well against Electrophorus and rat AChR and thus ...Continue Reading

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases occur as a result of an attack by the immune system on the body’s own tissues resulting in damage and dysfunction. There are different types of autoimmune diseases, in which there is a complex and unknown interaction between genetics and the environment. Discover the latest research on autoimmune diseases here.