Proliferative state of blast cell progenitors in acute myeloblastic
leukemia (AML)
MD Minden, JE Till and EA McCulloch
Peripheral blood from patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML)
contains cells capable of giving rise to colonies in culture when
stimulated by media conditioned by leukocytes (LCM) in the presence of
phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Two types of colonies are recognized with high
frequency: The first grows in the presence of low concentrations of PHA
LCM, have a blast-like morphology, and are numerically correlated with
morphologically identified blast cells. The second requires either high PHA
LCM concentrations or PHA alone with or without 2-mercaptoethanol and
consists of cells capable of forming rossettes with sheep erythrocytes and
resembles. T-lymphocyte colonies from normal blood. Precursors of blast
cell colonies from 15 leukemic patients were tested for cycle state, using
either the 3H-thymidine or hydroxyurea techniques. All were found to have a
high proportion of cells in the S phase of the cycle. In contrast, T
lymphocyte precursors from three normal individual were quiescent. The data
are consistent with the maintenance of the leukemic blast cell populations
by the proliferative activity of a small subpopulation of blasts.
Volume 52,
Issue 3,
pp. 592-600,
09/01/1978
Copyright © 1978 by The American Society of Hematology
