Correlation of Surface Markers of Cells of Human Lymphatic Leukemias With Disease Type2

Abstract

Fresh normal peripheral lymphocytes, thoracic duct lymphocytes, thymocytes, phytohemagglutinin-induced lymphoblasts (PHA-blasts), and lymphatic leukemia cells from 26 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (All) and 15 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (Cll) were studied by means of membrane immunofluorescence staining with rabbit antibody reagents rendered specific for T- and B-lymphoid cell lines (LCL's). The presence of markers thus determined was compared with the presence of erythrocytes, erythrocyte-antibody-complement complex, and surface immunoglobulin markers and correlated with disease type. The T-lCl-specific reagent could detect a normal T-cell antigen and a thymus-leukemia antigen. The B-LCL-specific reagent, on the other hand, detected a normal B-cell antigen and a PHA-blast leukemia-associated antigen. Among the Roswell Park Memorial Institute patients with lymphatic leukemias that were studied, most CLL's (14/15, 93%) presented exclusively a B-cell phenotypic expression as detected by the immunofluorescence reagent. Those with All, however, presented a wide spectrum of lymphocyte phenotypes: Three of 26 (12%) presented an exclusively T-cell phenotypic marker and 8 of 26 (31 %) presented a partial expression of a T-cell phenotypic marker. No patient with All showed evidence of a B-cell phenotype. These results suggested that All might be a T-cell lineage leukemia.