INVITRO REGULATION OF IMMUNOGLOBULIN-SYNTHESIS AFTER HUMAN MARROW TRANSPLANTATION .2. DEFICIENT LYMPHOCYTE-T AND LYMPHOCYTE NON-T FUNCTION WITHIN 3-4 MONTHS OF ALLOGENEIC, SYNGENEIC, OR AUTOLOGOUS MARROW GRAFTING FOR HEMATOLOGIC MALIGNANCY

Abstract

Ig secretion was studied in 37 patients between 19 and 106 days after allogeneic HLA-identical (30 patients), allogeneic 1 HLA-haplotype-identical (3 patients), syngeneic (3 patients), or autologous (1 patient) marrow grafting. E [erythrocyte] rosette-positive (T) and E rosette-negative (non-T) peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cocultured with pokeweed mitogen for 6 days. Polyvalent Ig secretion was determined by counting plaque forming cells in a reverse hemolytic plaque assay. The number of antibody secreting cells in cocultures of autologous T and non-T lymphocytes was low in 40 of 44 tests conducted on samples from the 37 patients. Mononuclear or non-T cells from 38 of 40 tests failed to produce antibody when cultured with normal helper T cells. T cells from 23 of 37 tests failed to help normal non-T cells secrete antibody. T lymphocytes from 23 of 41 tests suppressed antibody production > 80% by normal T and non-T cells. The suppressor cells were radiosensitive in 17 of the 25 tests. The abnormal function of lymphocyte subpopulations in patients during the 1st 3 mo. after syngeneic, allogeneic or autologous marrow grafting was similar regardless of the type of graft or the presence of acute graft vs. host disease.