title: Immunomodulation of natural killer activity in children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
abstract: Modulation of NK activity of PBLs from ALL patients was studied following exposure to IFN-alpha, staphylococcal protein A and interleukin-2. Only 52% of ALL patients responded to IFN-alpha stimulation, where the majority of controls showed positive enhancement of NK activity. Protein A failed to cause a significant stimulation of ALL patient PBLs whereas all controls showed a positive response. The majority of ALL patient and child control PBLs were however able to produce significant levels of IFN-gamma (protein A stimulation) and IFN-alpha (Sendai virus stimulation), although significantly more of both types of interferon could be induced in adult PBL samples. The ability of IL-2 to activate NK activity of ALL PBL samples showed a similar trend to IFN-alpha stimulation; thus, not all ALL patients showed positive augmentation of NK activity upon IL-2 stimulation. It is clear from these results that interferons and IL-2 may not necessarily lead to activated NK cytolytic activity, and in the present study approx. 50% of ALL patients failed to respond to lymphokine stimulation.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D007376:Interleukin-2; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A