Identification of B-cell and T-helper-cell defects, and of suppressor cell hyperactivity, in humoral immunodeficiency

Methods are described for distinguishing between intrinsic B-cell defects, T-helper-cell defects, and suppressor cell hyperactivity in patients who fail to secrete immunoglobulin when peripheral blood mononuclear cells are stimulated with pokeweed mitogen. Control cells which respond to pokeweed mitogen are made unresponsive by depleting B cells or OKT4+ cells, and the missing subset, purified from the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells, is added back to examine its functional activity. Alternatively, hyperactivity of OKT8+ putative suppressor T cells or suppressor monocytes is evaluated by depleting these populations from the patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Four patients who produced few plaque-forming cells in response to pokeweed mitogen were investigated: two had intrinsic B-cell deficiencies, one had T-helper-cell deficiency, and one had T-suppressor-cell hyperactivity.