Antiglobulin Antibodies Research Articles

Lymphocyte Stimulation

The renaissance era of the lymphocyte is upon us. Two critical experimental observations ushered in the new age. One was Gowan's finding that the predominant population of peripheral lymphocytes leaves the blood, only to return via the lymphatics. The other was Nowell's finding that a hemagglutinin extracted from red kidney beans causes peripheral lymphocytes to transform in culture to mitotically active cells. Neither of these observations was one of those results that instantaneously illuminates great regions of darkness; rather they were germinal. There is a growing catalogue of agents that have been shown to effect the transformation of the small lymphocyte, a synthetically inactive cell almost entirely a nucleus with a thin rim of unspecialized cytoplasm, to a blast cell rich with cytoplasm vigorously synthesizing protein, ribonucleic acid and deoxyribonucleic acid. These agents include plant agglutinins, antigens, antiglobulin antibodies, and allogeneic cells. In his book, Ling has sought to bring

An immunologic study of experimental silicosis

Experimental silicosis was produced by injecting guinea pigs intratracheally with silica suspensions. Pathological changes consistent with silicosis were noted at autopsy nine months after injection. Many serological tests such as precipitation, passive hemagglutination, complement fixation, and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis were performed on sera from these animals, but none was successful in demonstrating tissue-reactive autoantibodies. It was found that the use of latex particles sensitized with crude lung extracts could not be used to demonstrate tissue-reactive antibodies. It was shown that such particles actually detect rheumatoid factor like antibodies (antiglobulin antibodies). A modification of the antiglobulin consumption test employing lung connective tissue as antigen was developed and made available to study the tissue antibodies in guinea pigs. This modification was quite sensitive in the detection of lung-reactive antibodies in the experimental animals. The development of this serological technique should permit immunological studies of an experimental model of silicosis to be conducted more easily and under more controlled conditions in the future.