Effect of neuraminidase on lymphocyte function in chronic lymphatic leukaemia (CLL).

Neuraminidase treated T-lymphocytes from normals and CLL gave an enhanced response to PWM when compared to untreated T-lymphocytes. However the overall response of CLL T-lymphocytes was much lower as compared to normals. CLL T-lymphocytes showed an imbalance of T-subsets, where the Tu (Helper) were not only reduced 20.4± 2.96 but also diluted by increased ‘fy (Suppressor) 45 2+5 . 35, when compared to the normal T-subsets Tu 53 f ± 2 64 and Ty 21 0± .16. In co-cultures of normal autologous 1’ and B lymphocytes, mitoinycin blocked B-lymphocytes increased the response of ‘flymphocytes to PWM and this response was further enhanced by neuraminidase treated mitomycin blocked B-lymphocytes. However mitomycin blocked, CLL B-lymphocytes in co-cultures with autologous or normal T-lymphocytes failed to enhance their response to PWM even after neuraminidase treatment. This study shows that CLL T-lymphocytes have the same surface membrane properties as normal T-lymphocytes when responding to mitogen and suggests that the low response they manifest is due to the imbalance of T-subsets. It also shows that CLL B-lymphocytes unlike normal B-lymphocytes do not collaborate with either autologous or normal T-lymphocytes in their response to mitogen and suggests that this failure to collaborate is due to surface membrane defects (JPMA 32:88, 1982).