The stimulation of human B and T lymphocytes by various lectins

The response of human peripheral blood lymphocytes to different lectins was tested in vitro by monitoring DNA synthesis, blast transformation, and mitotic activity. One group of lectins - RCA, VGA, HPA, PNA, and UEA - showed no stimulating effects at all. WGA and VVA induced DNA synthesis and blast transformation but failed in stimulating mitosis. The mitogens PHA, ConA, LCA, and PWM showed peaks of mitotic activity at 50-60 hours for PHA, 70 hours for ConA, 80 hours for LCA, and between days 4 and 5 for PWM. The stimulation of different subpopulations of lymphocytes was investigated by immunological methods for the detection of B- and T-cell-specific surface structures during the whole incubation period. PHA proved to be a predominantly T cell stimulating agent, whereas ConA seemed to activate a higher proportion of B cells than yet known. PWM and the so-called T cell mitogen LCA turned up to stimulate a large number of B cells, but lead also to a T cell activation. The analysis of SCE events in stimulation experiments with these two lectins showed the early proliferation of a cell population with low SCE frequencies and the late propagation of a cell population with higher SCE rates. It could be assumed that the first population is represented by B- and the second by T-cells.