Stimulation by CLL cells in mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC)

Cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) do not respond in the mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) but are able to stimulate the response of normal lymphocytes. Mixed lymphocyte cultures were performed using cells from 24 patients with CLL and cells from 16 normal donors. The stimulatory capacity of 8 of these CLL cells was reduced when a common DR antigen was shared with the normal responding cell. We suggest that cells from certain selected CLL patients may be used in the mixed-lymphocyte reaction for determining the D-locus specificity of normal donors. CLL cells when expressed 1 DR antigen only, induced more clearly defined typing responses than cells with 2 DR antigens. There was no correlation between the ability of a CLL cell to induce a typing response and the T-cell status of the patient. However, a correlation with clinical course was suggested, because most cells which induced a typing response were obtained from patients who had received intensive treatment for the disease.