An antigen common to chronic lymphocytic and hairy cell leukemia cells not
shared by normal lymphocytes or by other leukemic cells
JF Agee, FA Garver and GB Faguet
Rabbit xenoantisera and mouse monoclonal antibodies prepared against human
chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells were found to react against a
single polypeptide chain with a mol wt of 69 kd found on leukemic cells of
all CLL (N = 40) and B type hairy cell leukemia (HCL) patients (N = 9)
examined. This common CLL-associated antigen (cCLLa) was not detectable on
circulating T or B lymphocytes, thymocytes, lymph node and splenic
lymphocytes, or bone marrow leukocytes from normal persons. In addition,
the cCLLa was not detectable on cultured T or B lymphoblastoid cell lines
or on malignant cells from other forms of lymphocytic or myelocytic
leukemia. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cells also failed to express the antigen.
Autologous cultured lymphoblastoid cell lines were established from
residual normal B cells from a CLL patient whose cells were used to
generate one of the antisera. Absorption of the antibody with these
cultured polyclonal B cells did not affect the anti-CLL activity, which
suggests that the cCLLa is not HLA related. Unlike the T cell
differentiation complex gp65-71, the cCLLa was not expressed on fetal or
cord blood lymphocytes or on mitogen-stimulated normal lymphocytes and was
distinct from the antigen recognized by the LEU-1 antibody in spite of
their similar mol wt. The cCLLa was also determined to be unrelated to the
human T cell leukemia lymphoma virus (HTLV-1). One of the monoclonal
antibodies generated against the cCLLa was a complement binding IgG which
exhibited highly selective cytotoxic activity against 100% of cells bearing
the cCLLa. Such an antibody might prove clinically useful in early
diagnosis and treatment of CLL and HCL.
Volume 68,
Issue 1,
pp. 62-68,
07/01/1986
Copyright © 1986 by The American Society of Hematology
