Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1973 May;52(5):1026–1032. doi: 10.1172/JCI107267

Thymus-Derived Rosette-Forming Cells in Various Human Disease States: Cancer, Lymphoma, Bacterial and Viral Infections, and Other Diseases

Joseph Wybran 1,2, H Hugh Fudenberg 1,2
PMCID: PMC302356  PMID: 4540711

Abstract

Lymphocytes that bind in vitro to sheep erythrocytes in a rosette formation are thymus-derived. A modified technique that does not detect the total number of rosette-forming cells (RFC) was used to study normal subjects and various disease states. Of 100 healthy subjects, 95 had more than 15% RFC (mean 28.4±6.5%). We studied 104 patients with solid tumors, who were classified according to clinical status and stage of therapy. Of 19 newly diagnosed patients, 13 had less than 15% RFC. Of 44 untreated patients undergoing relapse, 32 had less than 15% RFC. In both categories, patients with metastases had fewer RFC than patients with localized disease. 11 patients were studied 2 wk after cessation of therapy; four of them showed less than 15% RFC. Only one of 30 patients in remission had less than 15% RFC. In seven patients followed for various periods of time, the numbers of RFC correlated generally with clinical status. 11 patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia had very low percentages of RFC. 21 of 21 patients with symptoms of viral upper respiratory diseases had less than 15% RFC. RFC returned to normal values between 5 days and 7 wk after disappearance of clinical symptoms. 20 patients with bacterial infections had normal numbers of RFC. Of 25 patients with miscellaneous nonimmunologically related diseases, two had low numbers of RFC. It appears that the percentage of RFC may be valuable in evaluating not only immunological defenses but also the status of patients with solid tumors, lymphomas, viral diseases and, perhaps, bacterial infections.

Full text

PDF
1026

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bach J. F., Dormont J., Dardenne M., Balner H. In vitro rosette inhibition by antihuman antilymphocyte serum. Correlation with skin graft prolongation in subhuman primates. Transplantation. 1969 Sep;8(3):265–280. doi: 10.1097/00007890-196909000-00008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brain P., Gordon J., Willetts W. A. Rosette formation by peripheral lymphocytes. Clin Exp Immunol. 1970 May;6(5):681–688. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burnet F. M. The concept of immunological surveillance. Prog Exp Tumor Res. 1970;13:1–27. doi: 10.1159/000386035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cheema A. R., Hersh E. M. Patient survival after chemotherapy and its relationship to in vitro lymphocyte blastogenesis. Cancer. 1971 Oct;28(4):851–855. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(1971)28:4<851::aid-cncr2820280408>3.0.co;2-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Coombs R. R., Gurner B. W., Wilson A. B., Holm G., Lindgren B. Rosette-formation between human lymphocytes and sheep red cells not involving immunoglobulin receptors. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1970;39(5-6):658–663. doi: 10.1159/000230390. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Doll R., Kinlen L. Immunosurveillance and cancer: epidemiological evidence. Br Med J. 1970 Nov 14;4(5732):420–422. doi: 10.1136/bmj.4.5732.420. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fröland S. S. Binding of sheep erythrocytes to human lymphocytes. A probable marker of T lymphocytes. Scand J Immunol. 1972;1(3):269–280. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1972.tb01818.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fudenberg H. H. Genetically determined immune deficiency as the predisposing cause of "autoimmunity" and lymphoid neoplasia. Am J Med. 1971 Sep;51(3):295–298. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(71)90263-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Good R. A. Relations between immunity and malignancy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Apr;69(4):1026–1032. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.4.1026. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Grey H. M., Rabellino E., Pirofsky B. Immunoglobulins on the surface of lymphocytes. IV. Distribution in hypogammaglobulinemia, cellular immune deficiency, and chronic lymphatic leukemia. J Clin Invest. 1971 Nov;50(11):2368–2375. doi: 10.1172/JCI106735. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Han T., Takita H. Immunologic impairment in bronchogenic carcinoma: a study of lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin. Cancer. 1972 Sep;30(3):616–620. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197209)30:3<616::aid-cncr2820300304>3.0.co;2-q. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Harris J., Bagai R. C. Immune deficiency states associated with malignant disease in man. Med Clin North Am. 1972 Mar;56(2):501–514. doi: 10.1016/s0025-7125(16)32410-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Jondal M., Holm G., Wigzell H. Surface markers on human T and B lymphocytes. I. A large population of lymphocytes forming nonimmune rosettes with sheep red blood cells. J Exp Med. 1972 Aug 1;136(2):207–215. doi: 10.1084/jem.136.2.207. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Notkins A. L., Mergenhagen S. E., Howard R. J. Effect of virus infections on the function of the immune system. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1970;24:525–538. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.24.100170.002521. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Papamichail M., Holborow E. J., Keith H. I., Currey H. L. Subpopulations of human peripheral blood lymphocytes distinguished by combined rosette formation and membrane immunofluorescence. Lancet. 1972 Jul 8;2(7767):64–66. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)91553-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Papiernik M. Correlation of lymphocyte transformation and morphology in the human fetal thymus. Blood. 1970 Oct;36(4):470–479. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Silveira N. P., Mendes N. F., Tolnai M. E. Tissue localization of two populations of human lymphocytes distinguished by membrane receptors. J Immunol. 1972 May;108(5):1456–1460. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Stjernswärd J., Jondal M., Vánky F., Wigzell H., Sealy R. Lymphopenia and change in distribution of human B and T lymphocytes in peripheral blood induced by irradiation for mammary carcinoma. Lancet. 1972 Jun 24;1(7765):1352–1356. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(72)91091-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Wybran J., Carr M. C., Fudenberg H. H. The human rosette-forming cell as a marker of a population of thymus-derived cells. J Clin Invest. 1972 Oct;51(10):2537–2543. doi: 10.1172/JCI107069. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wybran J., Chantler S., Fudenberg H. H. Isolation of normal T cells in chronic lymphatic leukaemia. Lancet. 1973 Jan 20;1(7795):126–129. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)90196-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wybran J., Fudenberg H. H. Rosette formation, a test for cellular immunity. Trans Assoc Am Physicians. 1971;84:239–247. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Investigation are provided here courtesy of American Society for Clinical Investigation

RESOURCES