Lymphocyte Proliferation and Lymphoproliferative Disorders1

Quantitative Studies on the Response of Normal and Leukaemic Lymphocytes to Phytohaemagglutinin

“…We found no definite evidence that in tbe CLL patients studied by us there was a consistent difference between lymphocyte responses to PHA after 3 and 6 days of culture, although it has been reported (Reviewed by Rubin et al., 1970) that the response at 5-7 days is greater than that at 2-3 days. A greater 6-day response could have been due to the forttiitous choice of a single PHA eoneenti^ation, but, when the complete dose response curves were compared, the differences were hardly striking.…”

“…Thus, Tormey and Mueller (1965), Yamamoto (1966) and Kay (1967) all found that expo.sure to PHA for long periods-up to 24 h at least-was necessary in order to produce a maximal response, as measured by H'''-thymidine uptake at 72 h, while Lindahl- Kiessling and Peterson (1969) reported good lymphocyte stimulation in cells exposed to high coneentrations for as little as 30 min. The concept of rapid PHA binding by lymphocytes has been advanced but not documented in recent reviews (Rubin et al., 1970).…”

“…The former, when exposed to PHA, respond with a wave of cell division 2-3 days later, while lenkaemic lymphocytes show an impaired and delayed response with a maximum at 5-7 days (Rubin, Johnson and Brown, 1970). However, in the plethora of publications on the subject we can find no reports <jf (|uantitative studies on the response of purified normal or CLL lymphocytes to graduated doses of highly purified PHA preparations.…”

“…Phytohaemagglutinin {PHA), a glycoprotein extracted from the kidney bean Phaseolus viulgaris, has been extensively used in the study of lymphocytes from normal indi\dduals and from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The former, when exposed to PHA, respond with a wave of cell division 2-3 days later, while lenkaemic lymphocytes show an impaired and delayed response with a maximum at 5-7 days (Rubin, Johnson and Brown, 1970). However, in the plethora of publications on the subject we can find no reports <jf (|uantitative studies on the response of purified normal or CLL lymphocytes to graduated doses of highly purified PHA preparations.…”

Autotransfusion of ³H-Cytidine-Labelled Blood Lymphocytes in Patients with Hodgkin’s Disease and Non-Hodgkin Patients

“…The la belling intensity of newly synthesized RNA, however, depends on the concentration of 3H-cytidine in the soluble pool. This pool exchanges only slowly with the extracellular fluid [8,11], so that 2 h after the end of 3H-cytidine exposure of the lymphocytes their soluble pool retains about 4/5 of its original maximal activity [14]. Therefore it can be expected that the lymphocytes labelled in vitro reach their maximal RNA labelling not dur ing the 1 or 3 h of incubation but only some hours later, i.e.…”