Lymphocyte Transformation in Multiple Sclerosis Induced by Cerebrospinal Fluid

HUMAN peripheral blood lymphocytes have the capacity to undergo morphologic transformation under the influence of several agents. Initially, Nowell1 observed that phytohemagglutinin stimulated a large proportion of cultured lymphocytes, usually 70 to 90 per cent, to enlarge and divide. The morphologic change leading to mitosis has been variously described as an alteration to a blastic cell, a change to a plasma cell or merely an enlargement. The mechanism of action of phytohemagglutinin has not been established but may be nonspecific. A number of specific antigens to which the cell donor is sensitive has been shown to stimulate peripheral blood lymphocytes . . .