Cellular immunity in ankylosing spondylitis. Lack of response to spinal tissue antigens

In the studies reported here, peripheral blood lymphoid cells from 14 ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and 14 normal control subjects were examined for immune responses to the mitogens concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin-P and pokeweed mitogen, as well as to primate spinal ligament, disc, and sacroiliac cartilage whole antigens. AS lymphocytes responded normally to mitogens and did not proliferate on exposure to spinal antigens. Assay for released supernatant proliferation inhibitory factor, tested on human HeLa cells monolayers failed to detect lymphokine release by AS lymphoid cells during exposure to spinal antigens.