B and T Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Human Peripheral Blood

Abstract

Human peripheral blood lymphocytes from healthy individuals were examined to detect the presence of membrane-bound Ig and surface receptors for fixed IgG and fixed C3. These three features are thought to be characteristic of B lymphocytes and were measured by the mixed antiglobulin rosetting reaction, the antibody (Fc) rosetting reaction and complement (C3) rosetting reactions, respectively. As a reaction believed to be characteristic of T lymphocytes, the capacity to rosette with non-sensitized SRBC was also evaluated. Mean percentages of the total number of lymphocytes from 20 healthy donors ± 1 SD were: sheep red blood cell rosetting reaction 55.7 ± 9.6; mixed antiglobulin rosetting reaction 34.3 ± 9.6; Fc rosetting reaction 26.3 ± 9.9, and C3 rosetting reaction 14.7 ± 5.2. Having established a range of normal values, eleven patients with chronic lymphatic leukaemia (CLL) were examined. For all the reactions believed characteristic of B lymphocytes the mean percentage of lymphocytes rosetting was increased; mixed antiglobulin rosettes 85.8; Fc rosettes 60.4, and C3 rosettes 56.4. There was consequent reduction in the mean percentage of lymphocytes rosetting with SRBC, i.e. 11.8%. This confirms that, in the cases studied, CLL is a disorder of B lymphocytes. In normal persons and in CLL patients it was found that Fc receptors, C3 receptors and Ig determinants appeared to express themselves independently on B lymphocytes.

T and B Lymphocyte Populations in Human Normal Lymph Node, Regional Tumour Lymph Node and Inflammatory Lymph Node

“…The T cell count in the peripheral blood of our healthy adult controls, as measured by the spontaneous SRBC rosette, was 69 ±4% and confirms the findings of other workers [Jondal et al, 1972;Haegert et al, 1974;Brown and Greaves, 1974a, b;Whiteside et al, 1975].…”

“…The B cell count in the blood of these healthy controls, as measured by the mixed antiglobulin reaction on formaldehy de-treated lymphocytes, was 29 ±6% and is similar to the findings of Haegert et al [1974] using the same technique, and Brown and Greaves [1974a, b] and Grey et al [1971] using immunofluorescent meth ods.…”

“…These lymphocyte subpopulations have been well characterized in normal human peripheral blood [Brown and Greaves, 1974a, b;Haegert et al, 1974] and in its various lymphoproliférative disorders [Seligmann et al, 1973], but their enumeration in the various lymphoid organs of man is not so well documented. Several reports dealing with thymus, tonsil [Brown and Greaves, 1974a, b], bone marrow [Borella and Sen, 1974] and spleen [Habeshaw and Stuart, 1974;Kaur et al, 1974] have re cently appeared in the literature, and also a few studies dealing with surface markers on malignant lymphocytes in lymph nodes and spleens of patients with lymphoproliférative diseases [Peter et al, 1974;Cooper et al, 1975].…”

Characterization of K-Cell Activity by Use of Depletion Experiments

“…The ox cells were sensitized with rabbit anti-ox antiserum at a subagglutinat ing dose for 45 min at room temperature [10]. After sensitization, the cells were washed twice in PBS and a 0.8% suspension was prepared in PBS.…”

“…C'3-rosetting reaction: a 2% suspension of ox red blood cells was incubated with rabbit IgM anti-ox antibody for 15 min at 4 °C in PBS [10]. The sensitized cells were washed twice in PBS and re suspended in complement fixation test diluent (CFT; Oxoid) as a 1.0% suspension.…”