Antibody formation by human tonsil cells in vitro.

The ability of human tonsil lymphocytes to give an anti-SRBC response in conventional cultures and in microcultures was studied. It was found that about two-thirds of tonsils responded with a significant number of plaque-forming cells (PFC), and that in some instances the response could be augmented if allogeneic tonsil cell (irradiated or intact) were added. Moreover, tonsil lymphocytes which failed to give a response on their own often responded upon addition of an appropriate number of allogeneic tonsil cells. The response was remarkably improved if allogeneic tonsil supernatant or conditioned medium were added. An anti-SRBC response was also obtained if SRBC was omitted from the cultures. The frequency of anti-SRBC specific B cells was estimated as 1/60000 (f = 1-7 X 10(-5)).