title: Mechanisms accounting for the impaired natural-killer cell activity in refractory anaemia with excess of blasts.
abstract: Natural killer (NK) cells were analyzed in 38 untreated patients with refractory anaemia with excess of blasts (RAEB), using cytotoxicity assays and immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies. We found that patients with RAEB have normal numbers of peripheral blood and bone marrow NK cells. NK cells from RAEB patients express very low natural-killer cell activity (NKa) which may be increased significantly with recombinant alpha-interferon and recombinant interleukin-2, although it remains below the lower limit of the control range. The cells exhibit normal tumour cell binding capacity, but fail to release sufficient amounts of natural-killer cytotoxic factors (NKCFs) upon their interaction with NK-sensitive K562 cell targets or their stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin. Our results suggest that defective NKa in RAEB patients may be due, at least in part, to impaired release of functionally active NKCFs. This disturbance is probably the result of some intrinsic defect of RAEB NK cells in NKCF production, storage, and/or release. The possibility of an impairment in the activation signal provided by the stimulatory K562 cells cannot be excluded, although it seems unlikely. We postulate that this abnormality might represent a manifestation of dysplastic haemopoiesis. Further studies are certainly needed to investigate whether other defective mechanisms are also implicated in the determination of the low NKa in patients with RAEB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology University of Crete School of Medicine, University Hospital of Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Eliopoulos
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Coulocheri
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Eliopoulos
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Katrinakis
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karkavitsas
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kyriakou
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vaiopoulos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foudoulakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000754:Anemia, Refractory, with Excess of Blasts / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000032:analysis; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology; D018959:CD57 Antigens; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011961:Receptors, Fc / Q000032:analysis; D017452:Receptors, IgG; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D018959:CD57 Antigens; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011961:Receptors, Fc; D017452:Receptors, IgG; D011994:Recombinant Proteins