ACTIVE ROSETTE FORMING CELLS AS A POSSIBLE FUNCTIONAL SUB-POPULATION OF HUMAN PERIPHERAL T-LYMPHOCYTES

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 47  (6) , 489-494
Abstract
Spontaneous E rosette forming cells (RFC) and active E rosette forming cells (ARFC) were separated individually by the rosette sedimentation technique. The responses of these cells to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) were studied. RFC exceeded ARFC in their response to PHA at all concentrations of PHA and the maximum PHA response of RFC was significantly higher than that of ARFC. Con A appeared to stimulate RFC and ARFC equally at the level of an optimal dose. The binding affinity for sheep red blood cells (SRBC) by T [thymus-derived] lymphocytes and their responsiveness to PHA stimulation may be inversely related. The PHA-sensitive population may be different from the Con A-sensitive one or there may be heterogenous populations among human T lymphocytes in their mitogenic responses. ARFC may be a functional subpopulation of human T cells. An additional finding is that spontaneous DNA synthesis of rosetting cells was significantly lower than that of non-rosetting cells.

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