NATURAL-KILLER CYTOTOXICITY AND ANTIBODY-DEPENDENT CYTOTOXICITY OF CELLS OF RAT METRIAL GLANDS

Cell suspensions of rat metrial gland tissue, containing healthy granu lated metrial gland (GMG) cells, were assessed for their ability to ly se natural killer (NK) cell target Yac-1 myeloma cells in a [Cr-51]-re lease cytotoxicity assay. Cytotoxicity indices were found to be low ev en after in vivo stimulation of NK cytoxic activity by polyinosilic-cy tidilic acid and the addition of interferon to test cultures. It is co ncluded that cell suspensions of rat metrial gland, and rat GMG cells in particular, do not exhibit NK cytotoxicity. However, when a heat in activated rabbit anti-Yac-1 serum was added to assay cultures, cytotox icity indices above background levels were obtained, indicating that r at metrial glands contain cells capable of antibody-dependent cytotoxi city.