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Induction of E‐Rosette‐Promoting Factor in Human Plasma by Levamisole: An Assessment in a Patient with Partial DiGeorge Syndrome
Author(s) -
SEKI H.,
YOKOI T.,
KUBO M.,
MORIYA N.,
MIYAWAKI T.,
NAGAOKI T.,
MIURA M.,
TANIGUCHI N.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1982.tb00632.x
Subject(s) - levamisole , rosette (schizont appearance) , digeorge syndrome , endocrinology , medicine , incubation , thymectomy , rosette formation , biology , hormone , immunology , antibody , biochemistry , genetics , myasthenia gravis
A male infant with partial DiGeorge syndrome responded to weekly administration of levamisole (2.5 mg/kg of body weight) with an increase of circulating E‐rosette‐forming T cells. Thymic hormone activity in plasma appeared to be elevated to a near‐normal level of 11.6 ng thymopoietin equivalent/ml after levamisole administration. The in vitro incubation studies indicated that levamisole by itself had no E‐rosette‐promoting ability, but a dialysable and relatively heat‐stable plasma factor induced by levamisole both in the patient and in heallhy individuals had E‐rosette‐promoting activity for the patient's lymphocytes. Such a plasma factor, however, could not be induced in all four thymectomized myasthenic subjects examined, suggesting a thymus‐dependent nature of the plasma factor. These results suggest that levamisole might mediate an increased secretion of humoral factor(s) with E‐rosette‐promoting activity, even from such a rudimentary thymus as in the partial DiGeorge syndrome.