Depressed cytotoxic T-cell responses in previously treated Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

Abstract

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 62 previously treated Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients were tested for their ability to generate cytotoxic T lymphocytes in response to stimulation with allogeneic cells in mixed leukocyte culture. In most patients, including some in long-term unmaintained remission, extremely low cytotoxic responses were generated. To test whether these patients have circulating cells that suppress autologous lymphocytes from responding to alloantigens, patients' responding cells were passaged over columns of sepharose beads conjugated with histamine-rabbit serum albumin (Hist-RSA). This procedure has been shown to remove mouse suppressor cells and Concanavalin A(ConA)-induced human suppressor cells. Passage of patients' cells, prior to allogeneic stimulation, over columns of sepharose beads conjugated with Hist-RSA but not over control RSA columns, resulted in the isolation of lymphocytes that generated increased cytotoxic responses to alloantigens in 18 of 22 patients with initially low cytotoxic responses. These results suggest that the impaired ability of treated Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients' lymphocytes to differentiate into cytotoxic T lymphocytes is at least in part due to the presence of circulating suppressor cells that bear histamine receptors.