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Immunoglobulin secretion was studied in 37 patients between 19 and 106 days after allogeneic HLA-identical (30 patients), allogeneic one HLA-haplotype-identical (three patients), syngeneic (three patients), or autologous (one patient) marrow grafting. E rosette-positive (T) and E rosette-negative (non-T) peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cocultured with pokeweed mitogen for 6 days. Polyvalent immunoglobulin 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 greater than 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 first 3 mo after syngeneic, allogeneic or autologous marrow grafting was similar regardless of the type of graft or the presence of acute graft versus host disease.
Witherspoon et al. (1982) studied this question.