Transferrin receptor expression by stimulated cells in mixed lymphocyte culture.

Transferrin receptor (TRFr) expression by cells in mixed lymphocyte culture increases steadily for the first 5 days, but then reaches a plateau. By the sixth day in culture, about 20% of viable cells express TRFr in two-way mixed lymphocyte reactions. This subpopulation of TRFr-positive cells represents the proliferating population; it is heterogeneous, containing T-cell blasts and smaller cells which are a mixture of T and non-T cells. A small group of non-T cells have phenotypic similarity to natural killer (NK) cells. T cells appear to divide earlier in the course of the response than non-T cells. The biphasic nature of this response and the slower non-T reactivity may be due to a secondary stimulation of non-T cells by factors released from activated T cells (such as interleukin-2).