Determination of the reactivity of cytotoxic immune cells with preimplantation mouse embryos

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6997869

Ewoldsen, M A

Cytotoxic immune cells were used in an assay, MELIA (mixed embryo leukocyte interaction assay) to test the ability of the cells to kill blastocyst stage embryos. The cytotoxic immune cells generated for use in this study, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), natural killer (NK) cells, and lymphokine activated killer (LAK) cells were shown to have phenotypic and cytolytic characteristics similar to those reported by other investigators. The lysis of the blastocysts in the MELIA was determined by measuring the inhibition of blastocoel retention and/or by the inhibition of incorporation of tritiated thymidine (/sup 3/H-TdR) into embryonic DNA. Blastocysts which possess or lack their zonae pellucidae were tested to determine whether the zona pellucida plays an immunoprotective role in preimplantation development. The results indicated that CTLs only lysed embryonic cells when the zona pellucida was absent, but NK and LAK cells lysed embryonic cells whether the zona pellucida was present or absent. The results suggest that the zona pellucida may protect the preimplantation mouse embryo from lysis by CTLs but what protects the embryo from lysis by NK and LAK cells is unclear.

• Research Organization: Iowa State Univ. of Science and Technology, Ames (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6997869
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550301* -- Cytology-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
AZINES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
DNA
EMBRYOS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
IMMUNE REACTIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LEUKOCYTES
LYSIS
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
MICE
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUCLEOSIDES
NUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PYRIMIDINES
RIBOSIDES
RODENTS
THYMIDINE
TOXICITY
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
UPTAKE
VERTEBRATES