A NEW AND SIMPLE METHOD TO STUDY THE ROLE OF SOLUBLE FACTORS IN ANTIBODY-MEDIATED CELL MODULATION

This paper describes an in vitro method to study how interactions betw een cell suspensions incubated in two culture compartments can occur b y diffusion of small molecules through a dialysis membrane. This consi sts of in vitro cultures of a human PBMC suspension, divided into two parts separated by a dialysis membrane. In one of the cultures, a mito genic monoclonal antibody (mAb) is added. The porosity of the membrane permits cytokines secreted by activated cells to. pass while blocking the antibodies. As a model, PBMC from the same blood donor were divid ed into two parts and one portion was incubated with an anti-CD3 monoc lonal antibody (OKT3, Ortho-Cilag), known to induce IL-2 secretion whe reas the other was enclosed in a dialysis bag without antibody. After a 4 day incubation, the cells incubated outside the bag proliferate an d secrete cytokines which pass through the membrane and induce cell pr oliferation inside the bag. This method could complement the currently used methods for the analysis of antibody-mediated cell activation.