Impaired expression of CD28 on T cells in hairy cell leukemia

T cells from patients with active hairy cell leukemia (HCL), a chronic B cell malignancy, show poor proliferation in response to allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In order to study the T cell dysfunction, the expression of several adhesion and costimulatory molecules was analyzed by flow cytometry. Circulating T cells from HCL patients showed increased percentages of CD28(-) in all T cell subsets. In some patients the percentage of CD28(-) T cells within the CD4(+) subset was increased up to 80%. These CD4(+)CD28(-) T cells did not proliferate in a mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) against allogeneic PBMC. After enrichment for CD4(+)CD28(+) T cells, the proliferative response in the MLC was recovered, but this response was still lower than the proliferative response from control T cells. In conclusion, lack of CD28 on T cells and a restricted T cell repertoire may contribute to immune deficiency in patients with HCL.