The mixed epidermal cell-lymphocyte reaction. I. Human epidermal cells elicit a greater allogeneic lymphocyte response than do autologous peripheral blood lymphoid cells.

In contrast to studies by other investigators, it was observed that epidermal cells isolated from flexor forearm skin of normal adult human volunteers are consistently superior to autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells in triggering allogeneic lymphocytes to undergo blastogeneic transformation. Stimulator cell dilution studies revealed an eightfold greater allogeneic lymphocyte-stimulating potency for epidermal cells when compared to autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells. This difference was shown not to have resulted from enzyme exposure during cell isolation procedures or suppressor cells present in the stimulator peripheral blood mononuclear cell populations. Our technique for isolating epidermal cells is straightforward and is harmless enough to make it reasonable to consider using the mixed epidermal cell lymphocyte reaction in matching human allograft donors and recipients.