Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte Cell Surface Markers during the Course of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Ronald P. Messner; Folke D. Lindström; Ralph C. Williams

doi:10.1172/JCI107503

¹Arthritis Unit, Department of Medicine, Bernalillo County Medical Center, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Messner, R. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

¹Arthritis Unit, Department of Medicine, Bernalillo County Medical Center, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Lindström, F. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

¹Arthritis Unit, Department of Medicine, Bernalillo County Medical Center, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131

Find articles by Williams, R. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published in Volume 52, Issue 12 on December 1, 1973
J Clin Invest. 1973;52(12):3046–3056. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI107503.
© 1973 The American Society for Clinical Investigation

Published December 1, 1973 - Version history

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 23 patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were serially studied. Changes in bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (B cells), as measured by surface Ig receptors and C3 receptors, and in thymus-derived cells (T cells) measured by rabbit T-cell-specific antiserum and E-binding techniques, were correlated with fluctuations in clinical disease activity and treatment. In normal controls B- and T-cell percentages remained relatively stable, although the situation in SLE was much more labile. A relative and absolute decrease in T lymphocytes and cells bearing a receptor for C3 was found in active lupus. Absolute numbers of cells bearing surface Ig were decreased to a lesser extent, whereas the proportion of these cells was increased. It is postulated that the increase in autoantibody formation and diminished delayed hypersensitivity seen in systemic lupus may be due to a loss of T-lymphocyte function.