Augmentation of Leukemic Lymphocyte Reactivity to Phytohemagglutinin by Salivary Receptor

This study demonstrates that the deficiency of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) receptors recently shown to be present on the leukemic lymphocyte may be ameliorated by incubating these cells with a biologically analogous material obtained from human saliva. This manuever, performed under controlled, standardized conditions, doubled the capacity of leukemic lymphocytes to incorporate ¹⁴C-thymidine during stimulation with phytohemagglutinin in cell culture. The present experiments serve as a prototype for possible in vivo modification of the leukemic lymphocyte surface to make this cell amenable to immunogenic stimuli and potentially more susceptible to chemotherapeutic agents.