SUPPRESSION OF T-LYMPHOCYTE PROLIFERATION BY PERITONEAL-MACROPHAGES IN CHICKENS

The mechanism of the suppression of lymphocyte proliferation by perito neal macrophages (MPs) in chickens and the presence of a suppressive s ubstance in the culture supernatant of MPs were studied. The results s howed that gelatin- and pepton-induced peritoneal MPs had an inhibitor y accessory function against blastogenesis of mitogen-stimulated splen ic lymphocytes and that resident peritoneal MPs had an enhanced access ory function. The suppressive factor produced by gelatin-induced perit oneal MPs is a protein having a pI of 3.6 and a molecular weight of 64 ,000 and it is physically and chemically a relatively stable substance . Moreover, it has no cytotoxic effect against lymphocytes and it was verified that the suppressor in the culture supernatant of MPs was not prostaglandin E(2) or alpha-acid glycoprotein. Copyright (C) 1996 Els evier Science Ltd.