Immune plasma-dependent cytotoxicity of immune and non-immune peripheral lymphoid cells for target cells coated with bacterial outer unit membrane.

The development of a model system for use in the study of lymphoid cell cytotoxicity to bacterial membrane antigens was attempted. In this system 51 Cr-labelled chicken red blood target cells were coated with pieces of the outer unit membrane of leptospirae rather than with soluble antigens. Using the model system to study dog peripheral immune lymphoid cell cytotoxicity to coated target cells we found that both immune and non-immune lymphocytes are antibody dependent for the expression of their cytotoxicity. It was also found that the unit membrane preparation from leptospirae can serve as a good antigenic stimulant to immune dog lymphoid cells as measured by increased [3H]thymidine uptake.