Human peripheral blood lymphocyte transformation by concanavalin A in a chemically defined medium

Abstract

Human small lymphocytes from peripheral blood were cultured for 72 hours in a chemically defined medium consisting of NCTC 109 supplemented with methyl cellulose, glucosamine, and hormones. About two thirds of the cells died during the first 24 hour period, but thereafter the counts were fairly stable. The addition of concanavalin A stimulated the production of transformed cells, although during the 72 hour observation period none of these was seen in mitosis. As the amount of concanavalin A added to 3 ml. cultures was increased from 5 to 40 μg, the number of small lymphocytes in the defined medium that underwent transformation increased from 34 per thousand to 61 per thousand.