EXPRESSION AND SIGNAL-TRANSDUCTION OF T-CELL ANTIGEN RECEPTOR (TCR) CD3 COMPLEXES ON FRESH OR IN-VITRO EXPANDED T-LYMPHOCYTES FROM PATIENTSWITH HODGKINS AND NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMAS/

T-cell responses against soluble antigens, alloantigens and mitogens a re frequently diminished in patients with certain types of cancer. In the present study, the authors investigated possible mechanisms for th e partial T-cell immunodeficiency in patients with Hodgkin's or non-Ho dgkin's lymphomas. It was found that T-cells from lymphoma patients ha d significantly reduced proliferative responses to EBV-transformed B-c ell lines and to anti-TCR/CD3 MoAb; a 30-50% reduction of cells expres sing membrane T-cell receptor (TCR) complexes; and a significantly red uced signal transduction function. Long-term in vitro culture conditio ns were developed to expand T cells in TCR/CD3-dependent or TCR/CD3-in dependent manners. With such methods, it was found that the decreased T-cell responses in patients with Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma s appeared to be an intrinsic T-cell defect (not at the antigen presen ting cell level), and the T-cell responses could be recovered after on ly a few days in culture. Thus, it is suggested that the T-cell respon se-defect in Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients is a reversible phenomenon, dependent on the patient's tumour-bearing environment.