Binding of DNP-specific receptor material of normal thymocytes to DNP-gelatin-coated dishes.

Mouse spleen cells (0.5%) were bound specifically to DNP4-gelatin-coated dishes at 4 degrees C. The DNP-specific spleen cells can be recovered from the dishes by melting the gel at 37 degrees C. In contrast to spleen cells, thymocytes did not bind to DNP-gelatin layers. When dishes were pretreated with large numbers of thymocytes, the binding of splenocytes was reduced in a second adsorption step, depending on the number of thymocytes used for the pretreatment. The reduction of spleen cell binding by pretreatment of dishes with thymocytes could be inhibited by DNP18-rabbit-IgG, but not by ARS13-rabbit-IgG. These data show that, on the release of thymocytes during the incubation with DNP4-gelatin layers, thymocytes leave behind DNP-specific binding material which prevents a second adsorption of DNP-binding spleen cells.