Mitogenic activity of staphylococcal peptidoglycan

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan displayed a marked dose-dependent mitogenic activity for mouse splenocytes and human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro, as measured by increased [3H]thymidine incorporation. Similarly it was mitogenic for athymic nude mouse spleen cells, whereas no blastogenic effect was observed in T cell-enriched and B cell-depleted mouse lymphocyte cultures. These data demonstrate that peptidoglycan-responding cells in mouse spleen cell cultures are B lymphocytes.