A method for the primary stimulation and measurement of antibody production to sheep red blood cells in vitro has been described. In this system when mouse spleen cells are incubated with sheep erythrocytes large complement-dependent plaques are formed. The number and size of plaques increases from day 1 to day 3 of incubation with an average of 4.4 plaque areas per 1 x 106 cells plated at day 3. There is a linear relationship between the number of spleen cells plated and the number of plaques formed. Plaque formation is inhibited by colchicine, actinomycin D, and rabbit anti-mouse globulin. This system offers a possible means for the direct in vitro measurement of the number of cells in a population susceptible to antigenic stimulation by sheep erythrocytes.

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Copyright © 1967 by The Rockefeller University Press
1967