Fc-receptor heterogeneity of human suppressor T cells.

Concanavalin A (Con A) stimulated the IgM-binding subpopulation of human T cells (TM) to suppress the pokeweed mitogen-induced differentiation of B lymphocytes to plasma cells. Control TM cells that had not been Con A activated did not suppress. The degree of suppression was related to the number of Con A-TM cells added to the cultures and it was abolished by irradiation of the T lymphocytes either before or after the 24-hr culture period with Con A. Suppression did not require the presence of TG cells, whose suppressor potential has been previously established. These findings indicate that suppressor activity is not confined to the TG subpopulation but may be expressed by TM cells also.