Human colostral cells. II. Response to mitogens.

The ability of colostral lymphocytes to respond to pokeweed mitogen, phytohemagglutinin, or Epstein-Barr virus was examined. None of these mitogens induced colostral cells to differentiate into immunoglobulin-containing cells, either in the absence or in the presence of mitomycin C-treated mononuclear cells or T-cell-enriched populations from peripheral blood. Cocultivation of mononuclear cells from the peripheral blood of normal adults with mitomycin C-treated colostral cells resulted in a marked suppression of the generation of immunoglobulin-containing cells in response to pokeweed mitogen. The inhibitory effect was seen in peripheral blood mononuclear cell:colostral cell ratios of 1:1, 5:1, and 10:1. However, colostral cells had little effect on the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to proliferate in response to phytohemagglutinin or to allogeneic stimulation.