Rat memory T lymphocytes: in vitro proliferation induced by antigens of Actinomyces viscosus

Peripheral T lymphocytes from RIC-Sprague-Dawley rats primed in vivo several months earlier with Actinomyces viscosus Ny 1 reacted with a strong proliferative response upon antigenic challenge in vitro. Two different antigen preparations from A. viscosus Ny 1, a broken cell supernatant (BCS) and an extracellular fraction (EXC) gave maximum responses as measured by the uptake of [3H]thymidine at a concentration of 10 microgram at day 4 of culture. Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) used as a control provoked a maximum proliferation in the same order of magnitude. T lymphocytes from unprimed, germfree and conventional animals showed a similar stimulation to PHA, but only a marginal reaction to BCS, and were not at all activated by EXC. Evidence is thus presented for efficient removal of cells responding non-specifically to B-cell mitogens.