African hamster lymphocytes as a model for immunologic studies.

The mitogenic response of splenic lymphocytes from Mystromys albicaudatus was studied to evaluate the potential of this animal as a model for immunologic research. In response to phytochemagglutinin and concanavalin A, splenic cells from Mystromys, unlike those from mouse strains, incorporate [3H] thymidine optimally in microculture at 10(5) to 2 X 10(5) cells per microculture. Maximum magnitude of incorporation in response to the same doses of mitogen used in mouse splenic lymphocyte microculture is greater than 10(5) cpm. Moreover, this high incorporation at low cell concentration has been observed in cultures from animals ranging from six to 24 months of age. Splenic cells from Mystromys give little or no incorporation with either LPS or PPD in doses mitogenic to mouse lymphocytes. These features of mitogenic response in Mystromys lymphocyte cultures suggest several useful applications to studies of mechanisms of mitogenesis.