[Change in the turnover of HLA ABC molecules in circulating T lymphocytes in mycosis fungoides]

The turnover of HLA ABC molecules at T and B lymphocyte surface was analyzed in five cases with mycosis fungoides and six healthy controls. The patients had only skin lesions and are staged from T1 to T3 and No, Bo and Mo. The turnover was analyzed by mean of the decrease of the lysis by complement on sensitisized cells with anti HLA ABC antibodies that were incubated for progressive times at 37 degrees C. The results show a largest turnover for the HLA ABC molecules all T cells surface from mycosis fungoides that was significant (PWilcoxon less than 0.01). The turnover of B cells surface was not different from mycosis fungoide and healthy controls. The observed phenomenon was not specific for mycosis fungoide or T cells because previously has been shown in others lympho-proliferative and autoimmune diseases. The authors suggest that the analyzed T lymphocyte, morphologically normal is functionally altered and the behavious could be a metabolic phenotypic marker for the T cell before his coming at skin lesions.