抄録
Since sinusoidal liver cells directly interact with circulating hemopoietic cells and lymphocytes, Kupffer cells may have the capacity to trap and activate these cells in the liver microcirculation. In order to investigate the adhesion mechanism of Kupffer cells to other lymphoid cells, mouse sinusoidal liver cells were isolated by a collagenase perfusion followed by differential centrifugations. By in vitro adhesion assay of lymphocytes to sinusoidal liver cells and staining of adhered lymphocytes with FITC/peroxidase labeled peanut agglutinin (PNA), the following observations were made: 1) Lymphocytes from various lymphoid organs including the liver itself adhered to Kupffer cells. 2) After an incubation period, DNA synthesis of the adhered lymphocytes increased. 3) A high percentage of the adhered lymphocytes were PNA+ cells. 4) D-Galactose, a PNA specific carbohydrate, inhibited the lymphocyte binding and the total DNA synthesis of the adhered lymphocytes decreased proportionally with their decrease in number. Our results suggest that sinusoidal liver cells may have the ability to trap and to activate PNA+ cells.