Lymphocyte subpopulations and S-antigen reactivity in retinitis pigmentosa
R. L. Hendricks and G. A. Fishman
The lymphocyte subpopulations in the peripheral blood of 37 patients with
retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and 24 controls were analyzed with the Leu series
of monoclonal antibodies in conjunction with fluorescence-activated
cell-sorter analysis. The peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from all RP
genetic types had a significantly reduced frequency of Leu-4-positive T
lymphocytes than controls, and a small but significant reduction in the
frequency of Leu-3a-positive T lymphocytes was seen in patients with RP
with the dominant trait. The reduced T-cell population seemed to be
associated with an increased frequency of Leu-11a-positive cells. The PBLs
from patients with RP did not react to retinal S-antigen, as assessed by
the lymphocyte transformation or interleukin-2 assays. We conclude that
patients with RP, although not clinically immunologically compromised, have
a significantly reduced frequency of T lymphocytes in their PBLs.
Furthermore, our study did not demonstrate reactivity to retinal tissue in
PBLs from patients with RP.