Date of Award:

5-1983

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Biology

Committee Chair(s)

Reed Warren

Committee

Reed Warren

Committee

John Simmons

Committee

Wilbur Thain

Abstract

Gardner's syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease presenting multiple colonic polyps with a predisposition for malignant change. In addition to colonic polyp formation by early adolescence, extracolonic lesions appear often prior to polyp formation. One theoretical mechanism for the origin of polyps and malignancies in Gardner's syndrome is a genetic defect in the natural killer cell activity of patients with this disease. Natural killer cells are a subpopulation of lymphocytes that spontaneously lyse tumor cells and virally transformed cells. A study was undertaken to determine the natural killer activity of patients with Gardner's syndrome.

A technique termed chromium release was used to determine natural killer cell reactivity. This assay involves incubating patient's lymphocytes (effector cells) with tumor cells from a myelogenous leukemia cell line (target cells) which has been previously labeled with the radioactive isotope chromium-51. The level of isotope in the supernatant is believed to correlate with the natural killer activity of the subject.

The results of this study indicate normal natural killer cell activity in patients with Gardner's syndrome. A trend toward lower natural killer cell activity was found at higher effector to target ratios in the patients. An incidental finding of higher natural killer activity in males (patients and healthy subjects) than in females was made. Higher natural killer cell activity of male lymphocytes against the cell line K562 has not been previously reported. In conclusion, the natural killer cell activity of lymphocytes from patients with Gardner's syndrome against the cell line K562, is no different from that found by lymphocytes of healthy subjects.

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