T cell regeneration after allogeneic and autologous bone marrow transplantation

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Abstract
Venous blood T cell phenotypes were analyzed with monoclonal antibodies after 11 allogeneic and 17 autologous bone marrow transplants. In 7 case studied in the early regenerative period, cells with a thymocyte phenotype were present in the blood. In the large majority of patients treated with both allografts and autografts there was an imbalance of phenotypic helper and suppressor T cell subsets with initially a relative and later an absolute increase of suppressor T cells. This imbalance was still present at over 250 days in 8 of 9 cases. Suppressor T cells bearing HLA-D atigens were abundant in 1 case of fatal GVHD [graft vs. host disease] but not in another, and were also increased following 2 autografts. T cell phenotyping apparently is not of diagnostic value in sick patients following bone marrow transplantation when GVHD is suspected.