Effect of cell density on the disappearance of cell surface immunoglobulins

Mouse macrophages and human peripheral blood lymphocytes exhibiting on the membrane autologous IgG as well as mouse thymocytes coated with human IgG, showed a strong cell concentration dependence of surface IgG disappearance during an incubation at 37 degrees C. Mouse spleen lymphocytes treated with anti-mouse Ig behaved in the same way regarding the disappearance of surface immunoglobulins, while the redistribution of ligands (cap formation) was not dependent on cell concentration.