Activation of peripheral T cells of sarcoidosis patients and healthy controls.

  • 1 November 1974
    • journal article
    • Vol. 18  (3) , 379-90
Abstract
Purified T-lymphocyte preparations of sarcoidosis patients and healthy controls were obtained by fractionation of cells through immunoglobulin (Ig) anti-Ig-coated columns. The early spontaneous DNA synthesis of unfractionated cells was increased in the patient group whereas the DNA synthesis in response to stimulation by concanavalin A (con A) and PPD was significantly reduced. Depletion of B cells resulted in a markedly reduced incorporation of [14C]thymidine in unstimulated as well as in con A-stimulated cultures. The reduction was of the same magnitude in both groups. Addition of adherent cells to T cell-enriched preparations had a potentiating effect on [14C]thymidine incorporation in response to con A stimulation. The effect was most marked at suboptimal concentrations of con A. B cell-depleted lymphocyte preparations of sarcoidosis patients were completely unresponsive to PPD, whereas the response in the control group was reduced. Addition of adherent cells reverted the response to that obtained in unfractionated cultures of both groups. A changed composition of peripheral T cells of sarcoidosis patients with lack of responding cells seems to be present. The [14C]thymidine incorporation of unfractionated human lymphocytes in response to con A stimulation seems to be dependent not only on T cells but also on the presence of adherent cells.