Monocyte defect causes decreased autoMLR in multiple sclerosis patients

We have recently demonstrated that peripheral blood monocytes from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a defect in stimulating autologous and allogeneic T lymphocytes. This defect was found to correlate with disease activity. We report here that T4+ cells from MS patients proliferate weakly in the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (autoMLR). Furthermore, we provide direct proof that the depressed T4+ cell proliferation is due to the monocyte functional (stimulatory) defect.