Amplification of the immune response by agonistic antibodies.

During the last seven years, more than 1000 munine monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have been made which react with human leucocyte differentiation antigens. International workshops have extensively evaluated these mAb; over 25 differentiation antigens have been identified and included in an international WHO-approved nomenclature(1-3), called clusters of differentiation (CD). These are identified by both serological and biochemical analyses. In this article Ed Clark and Jeff Ledbetter summarize a subset of these mAb specific for differentiation antigens that, as agonists, induce activation, growth, or differentiation of lymphocytes.