Abstract
Immune lymphocytes adsorbed on the surface of target cells during the first 3 h of combined incubation are characterized by the presence of an electron-optically dense matrix and by abundance of mitochondria and lipids; the small lymphocytes contain freely scattered ribosomes, which in medium lymphocytes are organized into polysomes and form separate cisterns of the granular endoplatmic reticulum in large lymphocytes, evidence of active protein synthesis by these cells. Cells of the plasma type also were found. Cells treated with phytohemagglutinin for 1 h consisted of a uniform population of small lymphocytes of identical size, with pale cytoplasm containing free ribosomes and single mitochondria. The proportion of medium lymphocytes and blast cells increased with an increase in the period of incubation. These were cells with pale cytoplasm and with freely scattered polysomes, in which a developed granular endoplasmic reticulum was never found. The presence of two types of cells whose ultrastructure reflects their functional characteristics is discussed.
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Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 80, No. 8, pp. 113–116, August, 1975.
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Bykovskaya, S.N., Bykovskii, A.F. & Shepelenko, A.M. Comparative study of ultrastructure of immune and normal lymphocytes treated with phytohemagglutinin. Bull Exp Biol Med 80, 983–987 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00789288
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00789288