SUPPRESSOR CELL-POPULATION IN SEZARY SYNDROME

In the present study, T lymphocytes from a patient with the Sézary syndrome were shown to suppress the synthesis of immunoglobulin in B lymphocytes. Immunoglobulin synthesis and secretion were measured in cultures containing lymphocytes and pokeweed mitogen. Although normal peripheral blood lymphocytes synthesized immunoglobulin in vitro, lymphocytes from the Sézary patient were incapable of immunoglobulin synthesis. After fractionation of normal and Sézary lymphocytes into T- and B-cell populations, immunoglobulin synthesis was demonstrated in cultures containing normal T and Sézary B cells, but not in cultures of Sézary T and normal B cells. When Sézary T lymphocytes were cocultured with both normal T and B cells, immunoglobulin synthesis was suppressed by 80%, compared to appropriate controls. These studies demonstrate that malignant transformation of T lymphocytes in the Sézary syndrome can result in the generation of cells which suppress immunoglobulin synthesis. Furthermore, B cells from this patient were capable of synthesizing immunoglobulin, predominantly IgA, in the presence of normal T cells. © 1979.