The autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction in cord blood lymphocytes: altered kinetics and magnitude of proliferative response compared to the adult autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction.

In the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR) T lymphocytes proliferate in response to stimulation by autologous non-T mononuclear cells. The AMLR has characteristics of a cell mediated immune response, and is thus thought to play a role in immune regulation. Cord blood lymphocytes often function differently than do adult lymphocytes. To determine if the AMLR in cord blood differed from that of adults, the kinetics and magnitude of the proliferative response in the AMLR was studied in 20 cord bloods and 14 adults. The magnitude of the AMLR was significantly lower in the cord cells compared to the adult response on all days tested except days 1 and 2. On the first 2 days of culture the cord cells had a higher proliferative response than the adult cells, but this could be accounted for by the high spontaneous proliferation in the cord cells.