Growth, interleukin-2 production, and responsiveness to IL-2 in T4- positive T Lymphocyte populations from malignant cutaneous T cell lymphoma (Sezary's syndrome): the effect of cyclosporin A

Abstract Functional analysis and surface phenotyping using monoclonal antibodies have revealed that malignant T lymphocyte populations in the peripheral blood of patients with Sezary's syndrome resemble the T helper cell populations from normal individuals. In this article we have studied the effects of the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine A (CsA) on growth, interleukin-2 (IL-2) production, and the induction of IL-2 responsiveness of peripheral blood monocytes (PBMs) from five patients with Sezary's syndrome in vitro, using the lectin phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and the phorbol ester phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) as stimuli. The following results were obtained: PHA-induced cell proliferat…