Screening of humoral suppression of in vitro granulopoiesis by means of serum inhibitor assay for CFU-GM
Ghizzi, A.; Carlo Stella, C.; Pedrazzoli, P.; Gorini, M.
Bollettino della Societa Italiana di Biologia Sperimentale 61(11-12): 1543-1550
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-8771 PMID: 3833271 Document Number: 246025
We studied serum from 18 patients with granulopoietic failure for the presence of inhibitors of "in vitro" granulopoiesis by a clonogenic assay for granulocyte-macrophage committed progenitors (CFU-GM). We studied CFU-GM in baseline culture, by means of "CFU-GM assay", and CFU-GM growth when 0.1 ml/dish of autologous serum was added to the culture, by means of "serum inhibitor assay". In 8 of 18 cases autologous serum increased CFU-GM growth, whereas in 7 of 18 cases autologous serum suppressed CFU-GM growth so showing the existence of a humoral factor inhibiting "in vitro" granulopoiesis. In 3 cases serum suppressed the growth of specific CFU-GM subpopulations. Since we used an autologous culture system that allows us to remove the phenomena of CFU-GM growth suppression due to transfusion related alloimmunization, we can say that an immune mechanism is involved in the hemopoetic suppression identified by "serum inhibitor assay". We conclude that "serum inhibitor assay" is a reliable technique for the screening of humoral immune suppression of CFU-GM growth.