title: Adenosine deaminase activity of normal lymphocytes and leukemic cells.
abstract: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity was determined in peripheral blood T cells, thymocytes and blasts of 42 acute leukemia patients. Thymocytes had higher ADA activity than mature peripheral blood T cells. B ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) cells had significantly lower activity compared with T ALL and non-B, non-T cells. The latter had a wide range of enzymatic activities but mostly in the T cell range. Based on these results, as well as on assays of B and T cell lines, it seems that thymus-derived cells--and especially prethymic and immature T cells--have high ADA activity. This finding could be useful in subtyping the heterogeneous group of non-B, non-T ALL.
mesh_terms: D000243:Adenosine Deaminase / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000201:enzymology; D002460:Cell Line; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000201:enzymology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology*; D009700:Nucleoside Deaminases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D009700:Nucleoside Deaminases; D000243:Adenosine Deaminase