Genetic control of the response of chicken leukocytes to a T-cell mitogen

• Published in: Nature (London) 1976-09, Vol.263 (5572), p.61-63
• Main Authors: BUDER, A, MIGGIANO, V, NORTH, M, PINK, J. R. L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Chickens; Concanavalin A - pharmacology; DNA - biosynthesis; Genes, Dominant; Genetic Linkage; Histocompatibility Antigens; Humanities and Social Sciences; Lectins - pharmacology; letter; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - metabolism
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/263061a0

THE way in which mitogens stimulate lymphocytes to divide in culture is not known. Some mitogens (for example, bacterial lipopolysaccharides) stimulate immunoglobulin-bearing lymphocytes to divide and secrete antibodies; others, such as concavanalin A (con A) or phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), stimulate thymus-derived cells (T cells) to proliferate 1,2 . An analysis of the mechanism of action of these mitogens may be helpful in deciding how specific lymphocytes respond to antigen. We report here a case of genetic control of the ability of leukocytes to respond to a T-cell mitogen; lymphocytes from certain inbred chicken lines give a high proliferative response to con A, whereas those of other lines give a low response. The chicken provides a suitable model for studying such responses, in particular because it is easy to culture avian peripheral blood leukocytes and thus compare the results of mitogen stimulation directly with those obtained using human peripheral blood cells.