INHIBITION OF E-ROSETTE FORMATION AND PHAGOCYTOSIS BY HUMAN-BLOOD LEUKOCYTES AFTER TREATMENT WITH THE DENGUE VIRUS-INDUCED CYTO-TOXIC FACTOR

  • 1 January 1982
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 45  (4) , 679-685
Abstract
T lymphocytes of dengue type 2 virus (DV)-infected mouse spleen produce a cytotoxic factor (CF) which kills T lymphocytes and macrophages of the spleen of normal mice or animals of other species. An effect was made to study the effect of CF treatment on human peripheral blood leukocytes. After treatment with various dilutions of CF at 4.degree. C for 1 h, 25-36% of T lymphocytes lost their capacity to form sheep erythrocyte [E] rosettes and 25-32% of monocytes lost their phagocytic function. CF treatment had no effect on formation of erythrocyte-antibody-complement rosettes by B lymphocytes and the phagocytic functions of polymorphonuclear cells. Pretreatment of cells with 2,4 dinitrophenol, reduced glutathione or ouabain, which act on the cell membrane, inhibited the effect of CF on E-rosette formation and phagocytosis. CF apparently acts by inducing changes in the cell membrane. Production of a similar factor in DV-infected humans may be responsible for similar alterations observed in their blood.