Demonstration of Rheumatoid Factor Idiotypic Antigens on Peripheral Blood B and T Lymphocytes from Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Abstract
Antisera were raised against three polyclonal IgM rheumatoid factors (RF). After adequate absorptions, the antisera were rendered idiotype-specific, as assayed by haemagglutination technique. By using the anti-idiotype antisera in indirect immunofluorescence on peripheral blood lymphocytes from the patients used as donors for the immunizing RF, it was demonstrated that 3–14% of the lymphocytes were stained, and thus had membrane-bound structures with idiotypic antigens similar to those of the circulating IgM RF of the same patients. While most of these idiotype-positive lymphocytes were B lymphocytes, it was demonstrated in one patient that about 7% of the T lymphocytes also had the same idiotypic antigens.