T lymphocyte subpopulations and pokeweed mitogen-induced immunoglobulin synthesis in vitro by mononuclear cells from psoriasis patients.

T-lymphocyte subpopulations and pokeweed mitogen(PWM)-induced immunoglobulin (Ig) synthesis of mononuclear cells in vitro were studied in patients with psoriasis as well as in age- and sex-matched normal blood donors. The frequences of T cells with receptors for IgG (Tg) and T cells with receptors for IgM (Tm) were examined. The IgG and IgM synthesis in mononuclear cell suspensions in the presence of different amounts of PWM was determined. The percentage of total T cells (rosetting with neuroaminidase-treated sheep red blood cells), including high and low affinity T lymphocytes showed no difference between the patient group and controls. The patients with psoriasis had a significantly higher mean proportion of Tg cells than the normal donors whereas there was no significant difference in the proportions of Tm cells between these two groups. The PWM-induced Ig synthesis in the mononuclear cell suspension seemed lower in patients with psoriasis than in controls, the difference being statistically significant when the results were expressed as ratios of Ig amounts present in the supernatants of PWM-stimulated and non-stimulated cultures (index of stimulation).