Production of B cell growth factor(s) by neoplastic B cells from hairy cell
leukemia patients
RJ Ford, D Kwok, J Quesada and CG Sahasrabuddhe
Recent studies have shown that normal human T cells contain a high-
molecular-weight (mol wt) protein exhibiting B cell growth factor (BCGF)
activity. Other studies have shown that virally transformed human B cells
also secrete a high-mol-wt BCGF-like molecule in vitro. We have studied
neoplastic B cells from patients with untreated hairy cell leukemia (HCL)
to ascertain whether such cytoplasmic BCGF activity is present in the tumor
cells. Studies on HCL cells from four patients indicated that BCGF-like
activity was in fact present in the cytosolic extracts when tested on
autochthonous HCL cells as well as on normal BCGF-dependent human B cell
lines. Chromatographic analysis indicated that the BCGF activity from HCL
cells was similar in mol wt as well as function to the normal T
cell-derived cytosolic BCGF activity. These studies suggest that HCL cells
contain and, in some cases, secrete a high-mol-wt growth factor that can be
autostimulatory and appears to resemble a similar growth factor molecule
found in normal human T cells.
Volume 67,
Issue 3,
pp. 573-577,
03/01/1986
Copyright © 1986 by The American Society of Hematology
