Murine macrophage-lymphocyte interactions: scanning electron microscopic study

Light and scanning electron microscopic observations revealed murine macrophage-lymphocyte interactions involving the initial contact of peritoneal, spleen, or thymus lymphocytes with peritoneal macrophage processes or microprocesses followed by clustering of lymphocytes over the central nuclear area of the macrophages. Lymphocyte-lymphocyte clustering was not observed in the absence of macrophages. Attachment and subsequent clustering appeared not to require the presence of serum or antigen; the attachment of allogeneic or xenogeneic lymphocytes was comparable to that seen in the syngeneic system, but central clustering of these lymphocytes failed to occur. No attachment or clustering was observed when thymic lymphocytes were cultured with thymus derived fibroblasts rather than with peritoneal macrophages. Lymphocyte attachment to immune, antigen-activated, syngeneic macrophages occurred more rapidly than that to normal unstimulated syngeneic macrophages; however, lymphocytes attached to the "activated" macrophages appeared to be killed by a nonphagocytic mechanism. A similar increase in the rate of lymphocyte attachment to macrophages occurred in the presence of migration inhibitory factor. Subsequent lymphocyte clustering on macrophages was observed in the migration inhibitory factor-stimulated cultures. In addition, lymphocyte-macrophage interactions similar to those in vitro were observed to occur in vivo on intraperitoneally implanted cover slips.