Options
1985
Journal Article
Titel
In vitro natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity against candida albicans - macrophage precursors as effector cells
Abstract
Bone marrow cells, cultured in L929 CSF, consist of cells of granulocyte and macrophage lineages. Cells of the granulocyte lineage are known to be cytotoxic for candida albicans. We report that macrophage precursor cells also display strong cell-mediated cytotoxicity against the yeast form of the dimorphic fungus C. albicans. The macrophage precursors responsible for this activity are nylon wool-nonadherent, nonphagocytic cells and lack asialo GM1 surface antigen. A purified population of macrophage precursors was obtained by means of Percoll density centrifugation. The interaction of this purified effectors with the target yeast cells was analyzed at a single cell level, and their activity was compared with that displayed by cells of the granulocyte series derived from the same bone marrow culture. Macrophage precursor cells proved to be more effective in binding the target cells and showed the same killing ability as the granulocytes: macrophage precursors were not damaged by contact with the target. In a long-term colony-forming unit assay, in fact, granulocytic cells showed a decrease over time in their ability to inhibit the growth of C. albicans, probably due to cell damage and death after the interaction with the target. No loss of activity was observed with the macrophage precursor fraction. The same macrophage precursor cells also proved able to exert good natural killer activity against YAC-1 lymphoma cells, but not against P815 mastocytoma cells. The macrophage precursor cells lost completely their natural cytotoxicity against C. albicans and YAC-1 cells.
Language
English