HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ferguson, R. Articles by Simmons, R. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Ferguson, R. Articles by Simmons, R. L.

Effect of Vibrio Cholerae Neuraminidase on the Generation of Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity in Vitro¹

From the Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Abstract

Vibrio cholerae neuraminidase (VCN)(12.5 units/2 x 10⁶ cells/ml) continuously present for a standard 5-day MLC will significantly (p < 0.02) increase the cytotoxic activity generated by a given number of responding spleen cells without reducing the specificity. Heat-inactivated VCN produced no such augmentation. This augmented cytotoxicity could be reproduced by preincubating (1 hr) the responding spleen cells with VCN (25 units/2.5 x 10⁶ cells/ml) before addition of stimulating spleen cells. Preincubating the stimulator spleen cells with VCN had no effect. VCN preincubation of target cells or presensitized effector cells produced no augmentation. The addition of soluble VCN to the killing assay also did not increase cytotoxicity. Thus, VCN acts only during the generation of specifically sensitized cytotoxic T cells. When the effect of VCN on MLC reactivity, cell recovery and total cytotoxicity (lytic units/10⁶ cells) were compared, it became apparent that VCN increases the proliferation of responder cells after stimulation resulting in both an increased number of cells and also an increase in the proportion of specifically sensitized cytotoxic cells in the culture. VCN treatment of responder cell membrane apparently permits a more ready response to allogenic antigens in culture facilitating both increased proliferation and the increased development of specific cytotoxic killers.

Footnotes

¹ This work was supported by United States Public Health Service Grant CA 11605.

² Dr. Ferguson is a recipient of an National Cancer Institute Fellowship CA 02852-02. Please address reprint requests to: Dr. Ronald Ferguson, Department of Surgery, Box 18-University of Minnesota Hospitals, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455.