Relationship of Cell-Cycle Expression of Ia-like Antigenic Determinants on Normal and Leukemia Human Granulocyte-Macrophage Progenitor Cells to Regulation In Vitro by Acidic Isoferritins

Abstract

An association has been established between human Ia-like (Ia) antigenic determinants, expression during DNA synthesis on granulocyte-macrophage colony forming cells (CFU-GM) and the regulatory action of acidic isoferritins in vitro. Treatment of human bone marrow cells with monoclonal-anti-Ia-like (Ia) plus complement inhibited colony and cluster formation by ∼50% but did not affect pre-CFU-GM. Reduction of colonies and clusters was similar whether bone marrow cells were exposed to anti-Ia plus complement, high specific activity tritiated thymidine (³HTdr) or acidic isoferritins. No further decrease was apparent with ³HTdr or acidic isoferritins after Ia-antigen⁺ CFU-GM were removed, or with anti-Ia plus complement or acidic isoferritins after DNA synthetic phase (S-phase) CFU-GM were removed. Anti-Ia, without complement, did not reduce colony or cluster formation but did block the inhibitory action of acidic isoferritins. A relationship existed between Ia antigens and the activity of acidic isoferritins in the following ways: (a) The apparent loss of Ia-antigens from CFU-GM by 5 h in culture at 37°C, but not at 27° or 4°C, was associated with nonresponsiveness to inhibition with acidic isoferritins, (b) Ia-antigen⁻, noncycling pre-CFU-GM that were insensitive to acidic isoferritins could generate a population of Ia-antigen⁺ cycling CFU-GM in vitro that were responsive to inhibition by acidic isoferritins, and (c) nondetectability of Ia-antigens on CFU-GM from patients with leukemia was associated with nonresponsiveness to inhibition by acidic isoferritins. These results implicate Ia-antigen⁺ progenitor cells in the regulation of myelopoiesis in vitro and demonstrate that absence of Ia-antigens on patient CFU-GM is associated with imbalances in normal regulatory interactions in vitro. These findings may be of relevance to normal regulation and to the progression of leukemia.