Effect of cell division inhibitors on polyclonal activation can vary according to the target cell used

The effects of inhibitors of cell division on polyclonal stimulation induced either by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or by a synthetic adjuvant, MDP, were compared, using different target cells. Doses of colchicine that prevented 3H-thymidine incorporation also prevented the induction of antibodies against TNP and against an altered self antigen: bromelain-treated mouse red blood cells (br-MRBC). Under identical conditions, incubation with cytosine arabinoside (CA) strongly prevented the induction of anti-TNP PFC and to a lesser degree anti-SRBC PFC. However, the number of anti br-MRBC PFC was unchanged even when a dose of CA which inhibits totally the incorporation of 3H-thymidine was used. Our findings indicate that the general term "polyclonal stimulation" may concern at least two different types of cell populations and therefore we strongly stress the importance of choosing similar targets in comparative experiments.