title: Decreased natural killer cell activity in late-onset hypogammaglobulinaemia.
abstract: 1. Natural killer cell activity and monocyte cytotoxicity was evaluated in three subgroups of patients with primary hypogammaglobulinaemia (ten patients with late-onset, eight with X-linked and five with early-onset disease) and in two patients with secondary late-onset hypogammaglobulinaemia against the K-562 erythroleukaemia, the CaCo-2 colon carcinoma and the HGT-1 gastric carcinoma cell lines and compared with the results found in healthy control subjects. 2. The natural killer cell activity, both spontaneous and after stimulation with recombinant gamma-interferon, was found to be decreased in patients with late-onset hypogammaglobulinaemia. The natural killer cell activity in this subgroup was found to be impaired in 60% of the patients (P less than 0.05). Within the other forms of primary hypogammaglobulinaemia a decreased natural killer cell activity was found to be less frequent (33%). 3. The lectin-mediated cytotoxicity by phytohaemagglutinin resulted in a similar maximal cytotoxicity in patients and control subjects. 4. The cytotoxicity of monocytes, spontaneous and after recombinant gamma-interferon stimulation, was found to be normal in all patients with hypogammaglobulinaemia. 5. The impaired natural killer cell activity which was found in patients with late-onset hypogammaglobulinaemia may contribute to the increased susceptibility to infections and to the increased incidence of malignancies in this subgroup of patients with primary hypogammaglobulinaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Aparicio-Pagés
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: den Hartog
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Verspaget
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: van der Meer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Furth
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Lamers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000361:Agammaglobulinemia / Q000276:immunology*; D000368:Aged; D002460:Cell Line; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D004915:Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma