THE EFFECT OF CELL CROWDING ON THE IN VITRO REACTIVITY OF NORMAL AND ABNORMAL HUMAN LYMPHOCYTES

Abstract
The effects of cell crowding on the blastogenic response to phytohaemagglutinin in in vitro cultures of lymphocytes from both normal subjects and from patients with lymphoproliferative disorders were studied. Moderate degrees of cell crowding resulted in enhancement of blast transformation; however, further increases in the degree of crowding produced relative or absolute inhibition of blast transformation, an effect which was more marked in the normal controls than in the lymphoproliferative group. The significance of these findings is discussed.