Direct evidence for loss of human suppressor cells during active autoimmune disease.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A regulatory subset of lymphocytes is missing in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis but these patients have antibodies in their serum that react with normal T [thymus derived] cells. This regulatory subset of T cells is present in patients whose serum shows little or no reactivity with normal T cells. Patients who are dificient in this regulatory subset of lymphocytes have significantly higher numbers of cells secreting Ig [immunoglobulin] as measured by a hemolytic plague assay. The significance of these observations is 2-fold: they represent a positive relationship among the loss of regulation,, overproduction of Ig and the presence of anti-T cell antibodies; and, perhaps of equal importance, is the indication that serum from patients with autoimmune diseases may give a readily available reagent with which to dissect further functionally distinct subsets of normal T cells in man.

This publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit: