| Abstract: | Seven-day mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC), were established from three sex-linked agammaglobulinaemics and nine acquired agammaglobulinaemics, five males and four females, with normal individuals of the opposite sex. Phytohaemagglutinin cultures were established at the same time. Except for two females with acquired agammaglobulinaemia, all the subjects responded normally to PHA stimulation. Individual MLC response was gauged by analysis of sex chromosome constitution of the dividing cells. The three sex-linked agammaglobulinaemic patients failed to respond in MLC. The male acquired agammaglobulinaemic patients responded at variable rates or not at all while the female acquired agammaglobulinaemic cells responded at least as well as the male cells with which they were cultured. In control MLCs involving the cells of pairs of normal individuals of opposite sex, we observed, consistently, that the female cells responded to a greater extent than did the male. |
