Splenic adherent cells, stimulated in vitro, induce the reactive formation of lymphoid follicles and germinal centres in draining lymph nodes after subcutaneous transfusion into syngeneic mice

The reactive formation of lymphoid follicles and germinal centres in lymph nodes, induced by subcutaneous transfer of in vitro activated splenic adherent cells into syngeneic mice, were studied. Adherent cells were obtained by incubating spleen cell suspensions for 24 h and activated by incubating for 1 h in the medium containing keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) absorbed onto alumina. Some of the treated adherent cells were irradiated with 10 Gy x-rays, while others were either not stimulated or were stimulated with alumina-KLH but killed by repeated freezing and thawing. Examination of adherent cell smears immunostained with antibodies against, F4/80, Mac-1, Mac-2 and NLDC-145 indicated that many adherent cells displayed macrophage markers but few displayed the interdigitating cell marker. Animals transfused with KLH-treated adherent cells with or without irradiation showed a marked increase in the number of lymphoid follicles and germinal centres in draining lymph nodes, whereas those transfused with adherent cells which had not been KLH-treated or which had been killed after KLH treatment displayed no significant change in the number of follicles. These results were interpreted as indicating that following transfusion, antigen-activated adherent macrophages migrated into the draining lymph nodes and induced the reactive formation of lymphoid follicles and germinal centres outside preexisting follicles.