Differential regulatory effects of accessory cells on the generation of cell-mediated immune reactions.

Conditions for the in vitro generation of cell-mediated immunity to H-2 and non-H-2 alloantigens by mouse spleen cells were compared to conditions for generation of in vitro humoral immunity to sheep red cells. Normal spleen cells grown in standard or allogeneic cell-conditioned media developed strong cellular responses to H-2 antigens but little or no response to non-H-2 antigens. Subpopulations of spleen cells from which the adherent cells had been removed generated strong cellular responses to both H-2 and non-H-2 antigens, provided the cells were cultured in conditioned media. Both cellular responses were shown to be mediated by T cells. Accessory cells from the peritoneum and/or spleen differentially inhibited the non H-2 cellular responses at doses which did not inhibit humoral responses.