title: Increased spontaneous activity of antibody-forming cells in the peripheral blood of patients with active SLE.
abstract: Thirty-seven patients with criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 18 normal controls were studied for their spontaneous background IgM antibody plaque-forming clell number to specific chemical haptens. Active SLE patients had significantly more plaque-forming cells in their peripheral blood to a total of five chemical determinants than did patients with inactive disease or controls. This increased number of plaque forming-cells correlated with depressed serum C3 levels by Spearman rank-order analysis. The finding of elevated numberof spontaneous IgM plaque-forming cells to defined chemical haptens supports the concept that active SLE demonstrates a generalized increase in B-cell activity toward a variety of antigens.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D003176:Complement C3; D007075:Immunoglobulin M