Antibody responses to contact sensitizing agents. Effect of sensitized cells.

Lymphocytes from mice immunized by painting with the contact sensitizing agent picryl chloride have been shown to produce regulatory effects on the DNA synthesis and contact sensitivity responses of normal mice painted with picryl chloride. This report describes the effect of these cells on antibody responses of normal mice to picryl chloride. Lymph node cells taken 5--7 days after painting increased early IgM antibody responses of normal mice to picryl chloride. Spleen cells were not effective. The increase was mediated by T cells as judged by anti-theta treatment and nylon wool filtration and could not be produced by killed, irradiated or allogeneic cells. A similar activity could be demonstrated in cells from mice painted with another contact sensitizing agent, oxazolone. The effect was strictly specific and cells from mice painted with picryl chloride or oxazolone would only increase responses to picryl chloride or oxazolone, respectively, even when presented with a mixture of the two antigens. The cel-s increasing antibody production were different from T cells previously shown to mediate contact sensitivity and T cells shown to regulate DNA synthesis in that they could not be generated in adult-thymectomized mice.