NATURAL KILLER CELL ACTIVITIES OF SEVERAL INBRED STRAINS OF THE GUINEA PIG AND THEIR SUSCEPTIBILITIES TO RABBIT ANTISERUM DIRECTED TO GUINEA-PIG BRAIN TISSUE

: Natural killer (NK) cell activities of spleen and peripheral blood leukocytes from several inbred guinea-pig strains, established in this Institute, were assessed in an 18-hr 51Cr-release assay. As target cells in the NK assay, a human myeloid cell line, K562, appeared to be the most suitable among several cultured cell lines tested. Intensities of cytolysis were different from strain to strain, but generally high in JY-2, JY-4 and JY-10 and low in JY-1. Treatment of the effector cells with rabbit anti-guinea-pig brain tissue serum plus complement reduced the NK activity, whereas treatment with rabbit anti-guinea-pig thymocyte serum, or rabbit anti-asialo GM1 serum, plus complement showed no significant effect on the NK activity.