title: Malignant T gamma/delta lymphoproliferative disease with natural killer lytic activity.
abstract: A 17-year-old girl presented with a lymphoproliferative disease involving the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and liver associated with reactive hyperplasia of the spleen. Neoplastic cells were atypical medium-sized lymphoblasts with convoluted nuclei and nucleoli without features of large granular lymphocytes (LGL). The phenotype was CD3+ CD4- CD8-, TCR alpha/beta-, TCR gamma/delta+, delta TCS1-, and CD16+, and these cells exhibited spontaneous natural killer (NK) activity. DNA analysis showed rearrangement of the TCR gamma gene but not of TCR beta or of Ig mu genes. This unusual lymphoproliferative disease may represent the neoplastic expansion of a minor subset of normal T gamma/delta cells with NK activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Falcão
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Voltarelli
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Pestana
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zago
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015334:Gene Rearrangement, gamma-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor / Q000235:genetics; D005796:Genes / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D010641:Phenotype; D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016692:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta; D004247:DNA