Abstract
Three conclusions can be made from studies of cell surface Ags defined by xenoantisera. First, there are a multiplicity of cell surface Ags and receptors on human T lymphocytes. As these T lymphocyte membrane proteins are further characterized, patterns of phenotypic expression will be better delineated on different subpopulations. Second, T lymphocytes are comprised of several subpopulations which possess different functional properties. The possibility that Ags currently described by ourselves or others may have relevance to function must still be determined. In the mouse, there are clearly defined functional roles of T lymphocyte subpopulations that correlate with expression of unique cell surface antigenic structures. Preliminary data suggest that these correlations are applicable to human T lymphocyte subpopulations as well. Third, not all lymphocytes of T lymphocyte lineage have detectable E-rosette receptors, but they all express differentiation Ags detectable by xenoantisera. These cells may represent T lymphocytes at different maturational stages or with different biologic properties than those which express the E-rosette receptor. Xenoantisera raised against intact T lymphocytes are comprised of multiple Abs reacting with various cell surface constituents. In our experience, and those in other laboratories, anti-T lymphocyte sera that are absorbed to specificity contain at least 2 families of Abs reacting with different T lymphocyte Ags. It is evident that future studies for delineating T lymphocyte biologic properties will increasingly require detection of Abs that react with immunochemically defined surface Ags rather than with the polyvalent reagents prepared against intact T cells. Antisera that react with defined T lymphocyte Ags are important both biologically and clinically. Biologically, they will be important for defining phenotypic expression, functional properties and maturational stages of T lymphocyte subpopulations. Clinically, they are becoming increasingly useful diagnostic reagents for delineating deviations from normal in patients with various diseases and for typing various lymphoproliferative malignancies. In the future, such reagents may also be useful as therapeutic modalities for depleting T lymphocyte subpopulations in an effort to manipulate specific components of a host immune response, such as suppressor cells or effector cells.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 635-651 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | RES Journal of the Reticuloendothelial Society |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 6 |
State | Published - Dec 1 1979 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hematology