Retarded recovery of functional T cell frequencies in T cell-depleted bone marrow transplant recipients.
We have studied the effect of removing donor T cells by treatment with the monoclonal antibody Leu-1 and complement before marrow transplantation on the regeneration of functionally competent T lymphocytes in the blood at selected times after transplant. Using sensitive limiting-dilution methods that allow us to enumerate helper, cytotoxic, and proliferating T lymphocyte precursors, we report that regeneration of a functional T cell compartment is more severely impaired for the first 180 days after transplantation in those patients given T cell-depleted bone marrow than in recipients of untreated marrow. After this first 6 months, however, patients given T cell-depleted bone marrow had blood T cell frequencies comparable to those observed in patients given untreated marrow. Diminished frequencies of reactive T cells in recipients of depleted marrow could leave them more susceptible to infection or to the recurrence of neoplastic cells.
Daley
J P
JP
Department of Pathology, Boston University School of Medicine, MA 02118.
Rozans
M K
MK
Smith
B R
BR
Burakoff
S J
SJ
Rappeport
J M
JM
Miller
R A
RA
D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002455:Cell Division; D006801:Humans; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology; D013997:Time Factors