Zusammenfassung
Das Wachstum abnormer, nicht-klonaler Zellaggregate in Methylzellulose-Kulturen wird beschrieben. Diese wurden beobachtet in Kulturen von Patienten mit Graft-versus-Host-Krankheit, in der Absto\ungsphase nach Knochenmarkstransplantation, bei autoimmun-hämolytischer Anämie sowie bei Patienten mit malignen Hämoblastosen. In 80 Kulturen von Gesunden wurden sie nicht gesehen. Sie entstanden aus abnormen Knochenmarksbröckeln, welche — im Unterschied zu normalen Bröckeln — mit der „Speckhaut“ sedimentierten. Sie enthielten Tumorzellen, transplantierte hämopoetische Zellen oder Erythroblasten bei autoimmun-hämolytischer Anämie, welche von einer unterschiedlichen Zahl Makrophagen umgeben waren. Erste Resultate lassen vermuten, da\ der Grad dieser Makrophagenreaktion bei Krankheiten mit klinisch günstigem Verlauf stärker ist als bei sehr malignen Krankheiten.
Wir interpretieren das Phänomen als Ausdruck einer aktivierten Immunitätslage und schlagen vor, da\ es als in vitro-Modell für das Studium menschlicher Immunreaktionen verwendet werden kann.
Summary
Non-clonal growth of macroscopic cell aggregates in methylcellulose cultures of abnormal marrow is described.
They were seen in all patients with Graft-versus-Host Disease, graft rejection, and autoimmune disease presumably directed against hemopoietic cells, we found them in 35% of patients with primary hematological neoplasias and rarely in patients with solid tumors. They were never encountered in 80 healthy controls. The aggregates originated from small cell clumps which sedimented with the “buffy coat” in contrast to normal bone marrow particles. They contained tumor cells, grafted myeloid cells, or target cells of autoimmune disease in association with a widely varying amount of macrophages. Preliminary results suggest that the frequency of macrophages within the aggregates correlates inversely with the aggressiveness of the clinical condition.
We propose that appearance of such aggregates is an indicator of immune activation; we expect that further quantitation of the phenomenon will reveal important clinical correlations and provide a model for the study of host defense to “foreign” cells.
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Supported by the Swiss Cancer League No. FOR. 101.AK.77 (2) and the Swiss Science. Foundation No. 3.3320.74
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Nissen, C., Elliott, B., Groff, P. et al. Pathological cell aggregates in bone marrow cultures from patients with various hematological diseases. Blut 38, 457–465 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01013506
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01013506