Mixed Lymphocyte Reaction (MLR)

Mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) are a common method to assess the cellular immune response. When lymphocyte populations from two individuals, (e.g. two humans or two different mouse strains; “two way” MLR) are co-cultured, T cells that recognize the foreign cells from the other strain become activated and proliferate. “One-way” MLR assays can be performed by pretreating one population of cells with mytomycin C, which restricts their proliferation and allows them to serve as stimulator cells.