Effect of human serum thymic factor on immature T lymphocytes in acute leukemia and other hematologic malignancies.
In 37 patients with acute leukemia and in 13 patients with other hematologic malignancies, E-rosette formation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, before and after incubation with human serum thymic factor, was studied. This assay showed that incubation with thymic factor caused a clear-cut increase of E-rosette-forming cells in 8 of the 37 acute leukemia patients. Among the 13 patients with other hematologic malignancies, a similar effect was observed in two with pediatric Hodgkin's disease and in one adult with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. These results support the contention that a significant percentage of the so-called "null" cells circulating in the blood of the above-mentioned patients were, in fact, immature T cells (T0 lymphocytes) that were shifted to a more mature stage (T1) by thymic factor.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000097:blood*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000097:blood; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D013951:Thymus Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008258:Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia / Q000097:blood
D013951:Thymus Hormones