Sperm priming reveals specific autoreactive lymphocyte clones |
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| Authors: | K Halim K K Mittal W R Levis |
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| Institution: | Division of Blood and Blood Products, Bureau of Biologies. Food and Drug Administration, Dermatology Branch, Bethesda, MD, U.S.A.;National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Human spermatozoa from 18 donors were used to prime lymphocytes from 15 donors in a total of 60 different combinations. The sperm primed lymphocytes were tested in second culture against a total of 60 autologous and 180 allogeneic x-ray irradiated cells. We found that lymphocytes primed for 10–12 days in first culture with allogeneic spermatozoa showed highly significant responses in second culture to leukocytes autologous to the responder. The degree of autologous reactivity between specific subjects ranged from weak to significantly higher than the usual preferential primed lymphocyte typing reaction seen in a secondary mixed leukocyte culture reaction. These findings indicate that healthy human volunteers possess a set of self-reactive lymphocytes that can be detected by priming with allogeneic sperm in specific combinations. |
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