Production of monoclonal antibodies specific to theophylline-treated lymphocytes.
The T11 molecule is reported to play a key role in T lymphocytes activation. Moreover, theophylline is known to modify the functional properties of T lymphocytes probably inducing early changes in T11 molecule during T cell activation. Aim of our work was to clarify the effect on T lymphocyte surface after in vitro treatment with theophylline. In this paper, we describe the production and the functional properties of several monoclonal antibodies obtained by immunizing Balb/c mice with theophylline treated cells. Some of the monoclonal antibodies reacted only with the theophylline-treated lymphocytes and showed a promitogenic activity, enhancing the expression of T activated cell antigen. These monoclonal antibodies seem to demonstrate the existence of a membrane molecule which appears on lymphocytes surface after a trigger signal occurring in the early stages of T cell activation likely related to the T11 dependent alternative pathway.