BACTERIAL LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDES BIND SELECTIVELY TO LYMPHOCYTES FROM LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE HIGH-RESPONDER MOUSE STRAINS

Three different concentrations of horseradish peroxidase‐labelled lipopolysaccharride (LPS‐HRP) were added in vitro to spleen cells from the LPS high‐responder strain C3H/Tif and to cells from the low‐responder strain C3H/HeJ. After being washed and fixed the cells were exposed to the substrate and prepared for electron microscopy. After addition of 7 and 0.7 μg/ml of labelled LPS only lymphocytes from the high‐responder strain were labelled. About 5–10% of the cells from C3H/Tif bound LPS. which is in accordance with the known frequency of B cells possessing the genetically determined LPS receptor. At the highest dose of labelled LPS (70 μg/ml) a large proportion of lymphocytes from the low‐responder strain also bound LPS. Erythrocytes from both strains bound LPS at all concentrations. It is concluded that LPS‐HRP allows the detection at the cellular level of LPS binding to the genetically controlled membrane receptor for LPS. Copyright © 1979, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved