| Abstract: | Concanavalin A (Con A) administered at the time of immunization induces suppression of the in vivo splenic plaque-forming cell (PFC) response to type III pneumococcal polysaccharide (SSS-III). As with low dose paralysis of the PFC response to SSS-III, Con A-induced suppression could not be demonstrated in congenitally athymic (nu/nu) mice and could be eliminated partially by treatment with anti-lymphocyte serum (ALS). The kinetics for Con A-induced suppression paralleled those for low dose paralysis of the antibody response to SSS-III. These findings support the view that Con A-induced suppression is produced in vivo by suppressor T cells and that this form of suppression shares with low dose paralysis a common pathway through which suppression is mediated. |
