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The effect of azathioprine (Az) on the primary in vitro antibody response of mouse spleen cell cultures has been studied. The response towards T cell-dependent antigens is suppressed by low Az concentrations (50% inhibition by 10(-2) mug/ml and 100% suppression by 10(-1) mug/ml). The same pattern is observed when Az addition is delayed until day 2, but the suppression is absent or partial when Az is added on day 3. In the early period (day 0 to day 1) the effect of Az is reversible upon addition of an excess of purine nucleosides. In contrast, the response to a T cell-independent antigen (TNP-T4) is relatively insensitive to Az, since 100-fold higher drug concentrations are required to obtain an inhibition. With the assumption that T helper cells are likely to be highly sensitive to Az, the effect of low Az concentrations on the other two cell populations involved in T cell-dependent responses has been evaluated. Adherent cells appear unaffected. In contrast, the B-cell response is markedly sensitive to Az, as shown by the effect of Az on the response of nude mouse cells to a T cell-dependent antigen in the presence of T-cell products, either specific or non-specific. On the other hand, the B-cell response to mitogens is resistant to az. Thus, Az has a differential effect on B-cell response according to the thymus dependency of the antigen. This may suggest the existence of two pathways for B-cell activation or two different B-cell subpopulations.

The specific response of human peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures to TNP-polyacrylamide was suppressed by the addition of concanavalin A (Con A). A dose of Con A (0.5 microgram/ml) could be selected, which induced a reproducible but incomplete suppression independent of the magnitude of the anti-TNP response. Con A-stimulated cells could transfer the suppression to autologous or allogeneic responding cells. The suppressor activity was present in the E-rosette forming cell fraction and was abolished by mitomycin C treatment prior to incubation. With a particular batch of foetal bovine serum, spontaneous suppressor cells were produced which suppressed the response of autologous and allogeneic lymphocytes. In allogenic mixtures, the otherwise enhancing allogeneic effect was replaced by a marked suppression from spontaneous suppressor cells. This suppression was higher than that exerted on autologous lymphocytes, suggesting that an unexpected negative allogenic effect had taken place. Spontaneous suppressors were ineffective when added on day 2 of a culture responding to TNP-polyacrylamide, whereas Con A induced suppressors were fully effective.