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[Lymphocyte subsets analysis and glycosylphosphatidylinositol determination in patients with PNH]
Objective:
Absolute number of lymphocyte subsets and the proportion of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-deficient clones among T, B and NK cells were determined.
Methods:
By using multicolor flow cytometry with two and three color labelled monoclonal antibodies, absolute number of lymphocyte subsets and the proportion of CD(48), CD(55), CD(59)-deficient T, B and NK cells were analyzed.
Results:
Lymphocyte subsets were found abnormal in all patients, low absolute number of natural killer cells and B cells were obvious. In most patients, GPI-deficient T, B and NK cells were detectable. The proportion of GPI-deficient clones in T, B and NK cells were 78.7%, 53.4% and 30.5%, respectively. There was significant difference among T, B and NK cells (P < 0.01). In two continuous remission cases, no GPI-deficient clones were found in erythrocytes, but there were GPI-deficient T and B cells, and in a 3 year remission there were still GPI-deficient NK cells.
Conclusions:
In PNH, similar to other blood cells, lymphocytes also had GPI deficiency, and GPI-deficient T and B cells could exist for a long time. NK cells of PNH patients are the predominant, GPI-deficiency cells with a high frequency (93.3%) and high proportion (78.7%).