Autologous rosette-forming T cells regulate responses of T cells. Phenotypic and functional analysis of suppressor cells generated from autologous rosette-forming T cells after autologous mixed lymphocyte reactions.
An average of 5--9% of human peripheral blood of T lymphocytes from rosettes with autologous erythrocytes (ARFT). This population responded only slightly against autologous and allogeneic non-T cells. In contrast, T cells that did not form rosettes with autologous erythrocytes (NRFT) proliferated to a greater degree in auto- and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR) and also in reactions to trinitrophenyl (TNP) modified autologous non-T cells (TNP-auto-MLR) as compared with ARFT or unfractionated T cells. The ARFT populations could suppress the increased allogeneic (allo)MLR and TNP-auto-MLR of NRFT when the ARFT were added to the NRFT at the beginning of the cultures. Fluorescence-activated cell-sorter (FACS) analysis of these freshly obtained T cell fractions using monoclonal antibodies to subpopulations of T cells did not demonstrate any selective gain or less of T cell subsets in the ARFT and NRFT as compared with unfractionated T cells. But when each T cell fraction was cultured separately for a week in the presence of autologous non-T cells (auto-MLR) and the cells were again analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorter, there was an increase in OKT8-positive cells (suppressor/cytotoxic subset) only in the ARFT fraction. The above findings strongly suggest that suppressor T cells are generated from the ARFT fraction during an auto-MLR, these may then regulate the responses on NRFT.
D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D012397:Rosette Formation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D008934:Mitogens