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RE migration: an in vitro phenomenon of certain lymphoid cells induced by heterologous serum
RE (rapid, early) migration designates the greatly increased migration of guinea pig thymus cells in glass capillaries upon addition of a high concentration of normal human serum. Such migration exceeded random locomotion sevenfold and was terminated within 60 min. Serum activity was abolished by treatment at 56 degrees C for 30 min and was inhibited by addition of homologous serum. Neither spleen nor lymph node cells were induced to migrate in this manner by serum. The presence of inhibitory cells in these organs, and their presence in variable but lower amounts also in the thymus, is suggested. Normal human serum was highly cytotoxic for thymus cells and somewhat less toxic for lymph node cells. However, the results indicate the RE migration is either independent of the cytotoxic effect of heterologous serum or else requires that a very high percentage of the cells are killed. The killing of thymocytes by several other means did not induce RE migration. In addition to demonstrating and quantitating this thymocyte-reactive factor in various sera, RE migration may be used for characterization of subpopulations of lymphocytes.
RE (rapid, early) migration designates the greatly increased migration of guinea pig thymus cells in glass capillaries upon addition of a high concentration of normal human serum. Such migration exceeded random locomotion sevenfold and was terminated within 60 min. Serum activity was abolished by treatment at 56 degrees C for 30 min and was inhibited by addition of homologous serum. Neither spleen nor lymph node cells were induced to migrate in this manner by serum. The presence of inhibitory cells in these organs, and their presence in variable but lower amounts also in the thymus, is suggested. Normal human serum was highly cytotoxic for thymus cells and somewhat less toxic for lymph node cells. However, the results indicate the RE migration is either independent of the cytotoxic effect of heterologous serum or else requires that a very high percentage of the cells are killed. The killing of thymocytes by several other means did not induce RE migration. In addition to demonstrating and quantitating this thymocyte-reactive factor in various sera, RE migration may be used for characterization of subpopulations of lymphocytes.