title: Polyclonal and antigen-specific B-cell responses in patients with common variable immunodeficiency.
abstract: Antigen-specific antibody responses were investigated in 32 hypogammaglobulinemic patients with common variable immunodeficiency following in vitro sensitization of their peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures with sheep red blood-cell determinants. Anti-sheep red blood-cell antibody-secreting cells were quantitated in a hemolytic plaque assay. Amplification of T-cell help was achieved with the use of the T-cell mitogen concanavalin A or allogeneic irradiated T cells. Four patients groups, A through D, were identified. Group A was comprised of 10 patients whose cultured lymphocyte readily developed into antibody secreting cells. Cultures of 9 patients (Group B) responded suboptimally, but were enhanced following mitogen activation of autologous or exogenous T cells, and those of 7 patients (Group C) responded only when help was amplified. In 7 patients (Group D), no responses were elicited. On the simultaneous assessment of pokeweed mitogen-driven polyclonal generation of immunoglobulin-secreting cells, only 10 responders, all from groups A and B, were identified. Our observations indicate that the majority of patients with common variable immunodeficiency possesses B cells capable of producing antibody in vitro. The ability of some patients' B cells to respond only in the antigen-specific assay while failing to do so in pokeweed mitogen-stimulated cultures suggests that these two reactions are not identical in their activation pathways.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000361:Agammaglobulinemia / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D000939:Epitopes; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D012756:Sheep; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens; D003208:Concanavalin A