FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENTIATION OF LYMPHOCYTE-B IN CONGENITAL AGAMMAGLOBULINEMIA .1. GENERATION OF HEMOLYTIC PLAQUE-FORMING CELLS

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 119  (6) , 1959-1964
Abstract
Despite the absence of B [bone marrow-derived] lymphocytes, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 4 of 5 patients with congenital agammaglobulinemia (cA.gamma.) generated a specific hemolytic plaque-forming cell (HcPFC) response in vitro to sheep red blood cells and ovalbumin. The kinetics, antigenic and cellular requirements were similar to normals, but significantly less HcPFC were found in patient cultures. Normal but not patient HcPFC-precursor cells were inactivated by treatment with anti-.mu. antisera whereas generated HcPFC in controls and patients were sensitive to treatment with anti-.mu.. Pokeweed mitogen (PWM) and dextran sulfate (DxS) enhanced the HcPFC-response of normal PBL; cA.gamma.-cells were unresponsive to DxS and, in the presence of PWM, the development of HcPFC was inhibited. B lymphocyte precursors are apparently present in the majority of patients with cA.gamma. investigated.