Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the most serious complication following bone marrow transplantation, with an incidence of 40-60%. The disease can be fatal in 50% of cases, even in patients receiving marrow from an HLA identical sibling. Several assays have been developed to try to predict the development of GVHD, including mixed lymphocyte culture reaction, cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor,...

Lymphocyte responsiveness in rats was found to depend on serum prolactin levels. Blocking pituitary prolactin release with bromocriptine severely reduces lymphocyte reactivity in vitro (mixed lymphocyte reaction) as well as in vivo (graft-versus-host reaction). In addition, evidence for a prolactin/growth hormone-related mRNA species produced in mitogen- and antigen-stimulated lymphocytes has b...

The motile lymphocyte in vitro has a prominent "tail" that becomes a means of "attachment" to other cells and debris during interaction. The term "uropod" is proposed to designate this specialized cytoplasmic projection which appears totally different, anatomically and functionally, from the pseudopods. Observations of lymphoblasts during mitosis indicate that the uropod is formed immediately f...