AN HOMOLOGOUS IN-VITRO ASSAY TO DETECT LYMPHOKINES RELEASED BY PHA-ACTIVATED DUCK PERIPHERAL-BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES AND SPLEEN-CELLS

When stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin duck lymphocytes released lym phokines which were detected by their ability to maintain the prolifer ation of duck lymphoblasts using an in vitro assay similar to that pre viously developed with the mammalian system to measure IL-2. The inabi lity of duck lymphokines to maintain the proliferation of mammalian ly mphoblasts (mouse) indicated that there was no functional homology bet ween duck and mammalian lymphokines. However, duck lymphokines did mai ntain the proliferation of chicken lymphoblasts indicating functional homology of these growth factors between these two species. The duck l ymphokine maintenance assay is a simple and reliable test, and should be useful as an in vitro assay for the detection of factors released b y antigen-specific lymphocytes when cultured in the presence of viral antigens. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.