T-cell-subset characterization of human T-CLL
EL Reinherz, LM Nadler, DS Rosenthal, WC Moloney and SF Schlossman
Circulating peripheral blood tumor cells in four cases of chronic
lymphoproliferative disease were immunologically characterized. By the use
of T-cell-specific heteroantisera and indirect immunofluorescence, all were
shown to involve proliferation of malignant T cells. Three cases
demonstrated morphologic and clinical features consistent with chronic
lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and one case presented as a lymphosarcoma cell
leukemia. Antisera specific for normal human T-cell subsets defined the
malignant T cells in each case as arising from the TH2--subset. This subset
normally constitutes approximately 80% of human peripheral blood T cells.
Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) was not detected in any of the
T-cell CLL cases, thus supporting the notion that T-cell CLL represents a
malignancy of a mature phenotype. The one patient with lymphosarcoma whose
tumor cells were TdT-positive subsequently developed T-cell acute
lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Moreover, la-like antigen (p23,30) was
detected on two of these tumor cell populations. In addition, it was shown
that not all tumor cells were E-rosette-positive, since only cells from 3
of 4 patients were capable of forming spontaneous rosettes. These findings
demonstrate that heteroantisera can provide an additional important tool
for dissecting the heterogeneity of T-cell leukemias and for relating them
to more differentiated normal T cells.
Volume 53,
Issue 6,
pp. 1066-1075,
06/01/1979
Copyright © 1979 by The American Society of Hematology
