HLA-DR EXPRESSION ON HUMAN PERITONEAL-MACROPHAGES INVIVO AND INVITRO

Qualitative, semi-quantitative (immuno-electronmicroscopy), and quantitative (radioimmunoassay) measurements were made of the in vivo and in vitro expression of HLA-DR on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients' peritoneal macrophages (Mθ{symbol}) and on healthy persons' blood monocytes (MO). In vivo, great variation is seen in both the qualitative and (semi-) quantitative expression of HLA-DR in peritoneal Mθ{symbol}. After culturing for 5 to 20 h, CAPD patients' Mθ{symbol} with low to intermediate numbers of HLA-DR molecules per cell (25-80 × 103) showed a two- to threefold enhancement of HLA-DR expression. This enhancement was determined for the total peritoneal cell (PC) population and for the adherent subpopulation of peritoneal Mθ{symbol} and blood MO. CAPD patients whose cells initially had high numbers of HLA-DR molecules (80-110 × 103) showed no or only slight enhancement of HLA-DR expression when cultured. © 1990.