Selective Stimulation of Mouse Lymphocyte Populations by Lectins

Abstract

The mitogenic effect of a number of plant agglutinins was investigated in mouse lymphocyte cultures set up with different populations of T and B cells (lymph node cells and thoracic duct cells from normal mice, cortisone-resistant thymus cells, and lymph node cells from congenitally athymic mice). Concanavalin A and three agglutinin preparations from <i>Phaseolus vulgaris</i> were mitogenic for T cells only. Pokeweed mitogen and <i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> agglutinin stimulated both T and B cells. The mitogenicity of <i>Ulex</i><i>europaeus</i> agglutinin I was restricted to B cells. <i>Ulex europaeus</i> agglutinin II, wheat germ agglutinin and the soybean agglutinins were not mitogenic. The lymphagglutinating and lymphocyte-stimulating activity profiles of the different lectins were unrelated.