[Living Sézary cells in vitro: formation of autologous rosettes (author's transl)]

Abstract

Living Sézary cells are more clearly discernible in supravital preparations using a phase contrast microscope than in stained blood smears. Especially, the small variant of the Sézary cell can easily be identified by this simple technique. Lymphoblasts are unequivocally discernible from monocytes, since functional criteria of the living cells can be evaluated in supravital preparations in addition to morphological characteristics. Using this technique a remarkable phenomenon was seen in living Sézary cells: interactions between autologous erythrocytes and the atypical lymphocytes created autologous rosettes. The binding of erythrocytes with a typical lymphocytes was so stable that even with good motility of the Sézary cells the erythrocytes adhered to the surface of the lymphocytes. The ability of living Sézary cells to build rosettes with autologous erythrocytes in vitro is taken as an indication that living Sézary cells have membrane markers of thymocytes.