Reactivity of anti-human brain serum with human lymphocytes

Specific anti-human T-cell serum was prepared in rabbits by multiple subcutaneous injections of human brain homogenates in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. The serum was exhaustively absorbed with human RBCs, lyophilized human liver, lyophilized normal human serum, and peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Specificity of the antiserum for human T lymphocytes was tested by indirect immunofluorescence. It stained 70 to 80% of lymphocytes in circulation, 95% of thymus, 27 to 35% of spleen, 5 to 10% of tonsil lymphocytes, and over 90% of phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes in vitro. Only T-dependent areas of cryostat-sectioned human lymph nodes stained with the antiserum. It did not stain circulating lymphocytes which formed HEAC rosettes, plasma cells in marrows of multiple myeloma patients or macrophages. After removal of HEAC rosettes by centrifugation in Ficoll-Hypaque, 75% of interface cells formed E rosettes and 65 to 75% stained with the antiserum. The antiserum was used in studies of lymphocytes in chronic and acute lymphocytic leukemias, lymphomas, and other lymphoproliferative diseases. Numbers and distribution in the circulation, spleen and nodes of lymphocytes bearing the T marker were significantly altered in patients with these disorders.