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This article presents information on research papers related to immunology. In the paper "Modulatory Effects of Oestrogen on Immunological Responsiveness. Suppression of Tumour-Associated Immunity in Patients With Prostatic Cancer," the authors wish to point out that retrospective evaluation of the patients in this study has disclosed an effect of hormonal therapy, i.e. orchiectomy and or oestrogen on tumour-associated immunity independent of the effect of in vitro preincubation of patients' leucocytes with DES-P. While in "Migration of Sensitized Mouse Spleen Cells by Cell-Associated Transplantation Antigens: Effect of Method of Antigen Presentation," the authors wish to point out that they have been unable to repeat the MIF assay technique.

Three healthy HLA-B7 homozygous subjects were found with similar but not identical HLA-D antigens; one was DW 2 homozygous according to independent typing results. This could be an expression of `long' and `short' HLA-.D antigens or be due to differences in weak antigens outside the HLA-D region. Two further healthy HLA-.B7 homozygous subjects were studied; one was apparently heterozygous for DW 2, the other apparently carried no DW 2 antigen. Both could discriminate between different DW 2 homozygous test cells. Two such test cells-one from a patient with multiple sclerosis (MS) and the other from a man with two children with MS-gave variable and absurd reactions with cells from the two subjects in question. It is tentatively suggested that genes exist which, when present in both moities in a mixed leucocyte reaction (MLR), can impair the MLR and give false `typing' reactions. This might be more common among patients with MS and perhaps also some other diseases (certain arthritides, e.g. rheumatoid arthritis) than among healthy subjects and can complicate or make impossible the interpretation of HLA-.D typing data. It could also explain the previously-described impaired MLR between cells from patients with these diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A soluble hapten (dinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (DNBSO3)) and particulate antigens consisting of DNCB, DNFB or DNBSO3 complexed with erythrocytes, all induce a specific blastogenic response and lymphokine production in leucocyte cultures from human subjects topically sensitized to dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). While low concentrations (50-100 μg/ml) of DNBSO3 could be left in human leucocyte cultures the entire 4 or 5 days of culture and result in reasonable levels of blastogenesis, it was found that consistently higher degrees of blast transformation resulted when DNCB-sensitive leucocytes were exposed to high concentrations of DNRSO3 (500 μg/ml) for a short period (2 hr). Cell-free supernatants from DNCB-sensitive leucocyte cultures harvested after 48 hr induced blastogenesis and DNA synthesis in secondary target leucocyte cultures from subjects not sensitized to DNCB. Such a blastogenic factor or lymphokine appeared to stimulate even in the absence of any residual antigen, since DNCB complexed to erythrocytes was removed by simple filtration through a 0.45 μm Millepore filter. In contrast to DNCB complexes, the antigenic activity of DNBSO3 completed with erythrocytes was not removed by such filtration. Thus, several DNP-containing haptens (DNCB, DNFB, DNBSO3) induce specific lymphocyte transformation and lymphokine production when exposed in several different manners to leucocytes from humans sensitized to DNCB. The ability to use either a particulate or soluble stimulant in vitro offers a versatile system for studying cell-mediated immunity in humans with a broad range of potential applicability in both investigative and clinical medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied T cell responses to four glutathione S transferase (GST)-fused mite antigens prepared in our laboratory using peripheral blood lymphocytes from mite-sensitive patients with bronchial asthma. Of the four recombinant antigens, purified GST-Mag3 had the strongest ability to cause patients' lymphocytes to proliferate, and its potency was almost comparable to that of crude mite bodies (Dfb) and faeces (Dff) antigens and a purified major antigen, Der f 2. The responder lymphocytes were mainly T cells, because the proliferative response was depleted by the treatment of lymphocytes with anti-CD3 antibody and complement, but not with anti-CD20 antibody and complement. The responsiveness of lymphocytes to GST-Mag3 correlated with that to Der f 2, but GST-Mag3 displayed slightly higher activity to stimulate lymphocytes than Der f 2. Simultaneously, the levels of Dff- and GST-Mag3- specific IgE antibodies correlated with the responsiveness of lymphocytes to GST-Mag3. These results suggest that Mag3 is a new valuable antigen for the response of T cell proliferation in mite-sensitive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expression of class II MHC encoded antigens (HLA-DR) and Fcγ receptors by peripheral blood monocytes from untreated patients with small cell carcinoma of the bronchus was compared with that of normal donors, Fcγ receptor expression was found to be elevated in these patients in comparison with normal. In contrast HLA-DR antigen expression by patients monocytes was somewhat depressed in comparison with normal. Continuous intravenous infusion of a total of 400 megaunits/m2 of human lymphoblastoid interferon-α (IFN-α) over a 5 day period markedly increased both monocyte HLA-DR antigen expression and Fcα receptor expression in comparison with that of untreated patients and normal donors. The initial increases declined somewhat but were still evident after 3 weeks of intermittent intramuscular IFN-γ therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human monocytes were cultured at 37°C for 72 h, washed, adjusted for viability and compared to freshly prepared moncytes for stimulation of the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR) and effector function. Pre-incubated monocytes were less potent AMLR stimulators than were freshly prepared cells. Pre-incubated monocyte demonstrated less antibody-dependent tumour killing of CCRF-CEM, less killing of Staphylococci and less spontaneous tumour killing of K-562 than did fresh monocytes. Pre-incubated moncytse produced less prostaglandin E2 demonstrated less surface Ia antigen and were less efficient accessory cells for antigen presentation than were fresh monocytes. AMLR stimulation correlated with moncyte killing (r=0.95) and PGF2 production (r=0.98). Thus, monocytes pre-incubated for 3 days are less active effector cells, display less surface Ia antigen and are less potent stimulators of the AMLR than fresh monocytes. Moreover, in this system, monocyte effector activity correlates with ability to stimulate the AMLR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among 12 cases of chronic T lymphoproliferative disorders we observed, six patients showed an expansion of mononuclear cells with azurophilic granules usually referred to as large granular lymphocytes or LGL. Cells obtained from five patients with these abnormal LGL proliferations were studied with several surface markers including their reactivity with the HNK-1 monoclonal antibody reported to be specific for LGL. Ceils in four out of five cases were HNK-t positive. Whereas normal LGL have been reported to be unreactive with several T cell markers, three cases showed the co-existence of HNK-1 and surface markers expressed by T cells. Two cases were characterized by the proliferation of OKT8 cells. Cells from one patient were HNK-l positive but did not express T or monocytic antigens. These cells were apparently not completely mature since 2-naphthyl acetate acid esterase activity was negative. Cells from the remaining case were HNK-1 negative and positive for T and monocytic antigens. An increase of OKT-10 cells was observed in only one patient. Our data indicate that proliferations of LGL represent a remarkable proportion of the rare cases of sheep erythrocyte rosetting chronic lymphocytic leukaemias or lymphomas. Besides the morphology of LGL, the rosetting ability and the negativity for peroxidase, cells from these cases showed a vast heterogeneity of other structural and functional markers, possibly reflecting different stages in the maturation of these cells. The HNK-1 monoclonal antibody proved to bean important marker in the identification of these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antigenic stimulation of the rat spleen to initiate a secondary response to tetanus toxoid (tet. tox.) has been found to have two effects on the recirculating lymphocytes which are migrating through the splenic pulp. Firstly, specific antigen-sensitive cells were selected from a population of immune lymphocytes during migration through an isolated, perfused spleen which was stimulated with tet. tox. This was supported by the substantial, and mostly specific, depression in the ability of such migrated cells to mediate a secondary response to tet. tox. and by the large secondary response produced by transplanted fragments of the perfused spleen without further exposure to antigen. Secondly the i. v. injection of tet. tox. into rats which had been previously transfused with labelled immune lymphocytes or alternatively labelled non-immune lymphocytes was followed by a transient retention of both populations in the spleen at the expense of the lymph nodes. Any surplus retention of the immune population in the stimulated spleen was not detected which suggests with certain reservations that only a small minority of even the immune population were antigen-sensitive cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modification or the macrophage or leucocyte migration inhibition, assay usable in a murine model has been developed. The system operates with mixed spleen-thymus cell populations from mice sensitized. to soluble protein or to transplantation antigens. In order to obtain significant inhibition it was found necessary to preincubate the sensitized cells with specific antigen for 24 hr prior to the migration assay. The macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) has been found to determine the rate of migration inhibition, in the mouse system whereas the role of humoral antibody is negligible. The murine MIF is not strain specific and operates in the absence of specific antigen. Spleen-thymus cells from St/a mice sensitized to a first set C3H skin allograft were inhibited by approximately 30% while cells sensitized to a second set graft showed a 50% inhibition when migrating against C3H cells or MIF produced by confrontation between sensitized St/a lymphoid cells and C3H antigen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the correlation between the mixed lymphocyte culture and the HL-A locus, experiments were performed to determine whether the reactivity in the mixed lymphocyte culture is elicited by the HL-A antigens as such. Fresh lymphocytes were mixed with either allogeneic fibroblasts or allogeneic lymphocytes treated with various metabolic inhibitors or by heating. which abolishes their capacity to tranfsorm in vitro. No stimulation of the normal untreated lymphocytes was observed in any of these mixed cultures. However, the H L-A antigens 4b and 7b were not affected quantitatively by this treatment as determined serologically. The conclusion is drawn that mixed lymphocyte culture reactivity is not merely a reaction to HL-A antigens, and the consequences of this are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human blood, lymphocytes from donors sensitized by skin grafting were inhibited their migration from capillary tubes by antigens from the skin graft donor. Lymphocytes from non-sensitized human subjects showed no or a very slight inhibition with similar antigens. When confronted with cell antigens from individuals, which did not possess any of the detectable HL-A specificities of the donor, the sensitized lymphocytes exhibited a marginal degree of inhibition (15.3±2.0%). The degree of migration inhibition increased to an average of 24.9±2.0% when sensitized lymphocytes were confronted with one HL-A antigen similar to that of the immunizing donor. When there were two and three HL-A antigens involved, inhibition increased to 29.4±4.1%, and 37.8±4.6%respectively Lymphocytes from two patients who had received kidney allografts exhibited a small but significant degree of inhibition when tested against cells sharing one antigen with the allograft. Lymphocytes from these patients maintained strong reactivity to tubercle bacilli and streptococcal antigens despite prolonged immuno-suppressive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]