E-ROSETTE ASSAY - CAUTIONARY NOTE

The capacity of a population of human lymphocytes to bind sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and form E rosettes is a distinctive property of T lymphocytes. Increased stability of these rosettes has been achieved in assays using 2-aminoethylisothiouronium bromide (AET) or neuraminidase-treated SRBC. Studies of both patients and treated lymphocyte preparations indicated that the use of untreated SRBC in the E-rosette assay failed to detect certain T-cell subpopulations whereas assays using treated SRBC were insensitive to differences in the binding properties of distinct T-cell subsets. The exclusive use of any one assay alone may prevent the appreciation of important differences in the distribution of T-cell subpopulations in normal individuals or patients with various diseases affecting the T-lymphocyte system. © 1979.