T cells from patients with active hairy cell leukemia (HCL), a chronic B ce
ll malignancy, show poor proliferation in response to allogeneic peripheral
blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In order to study the T cell dysfunction,
the expression of several adhesion and costimulatory molecules was analyzed
by flow cytometry. Circulating T cells from HCL patients showed increased
percentages of CD28(-) in all T cell subsets. In some patients the percenta
ge of CD28(-) T cells within the CD4(+) subset was increased up to 80%. The
se CD4(+)CD28(-) T cells did not proliferate in a mixed lymphocyte culture
(MLC) against allogeneic PBMC. After enrichment for CD4(+)CD28(+) T cells,
the proliferative response in the MLC was recovered, but this response was
still lower than the proliferative response from control T cells. In conclu
sion, lack of CD28 on T cells and a restricted T cell repertoire may contri
bute to immune deficiency in patients with HCL. (C) 1999 Academic Press.