title: Diagnostic and clinical importance of interleukin-2 receptor alpha chain expression on non-T-cell acute leukaemia cells.
abstract: The expression of interleukin-2 receptors (IL-2R) was examined in 328 adult patients with non-T-cell (non-T) acute leukaemia and blast crisis of chronic myelocytic leukaemia (CML.BC) using two monoclonal antibodies, anti-Tac for IL-2R alpha chain (IL-2R alpha) and Mik beta 1 for IL-2R beta chain (IL-2R beta). Leukaemic cells in the following cases were positive for anti-Tac; 28/192 of acute myelocytic leukaemia (AML), 24/44 CML-BC, 4/28 CD19(+)CD10(-) acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), and 20/64 common ALL (c-ALL). IL-2R beta was not detected on leukaemic cells of any case examined. Eleven of IL-2R alpha(+) AML were derived from myelodysplastic syndrome. None of the IL-2R alpha positive leukaemic cells responded to exogenous recombinant human IL-2 (rhIL-2) in culture. In addition, IL-2R alpha expression on non-T leukaemic cells was closely correlated with coexpressing different lineage markers and the presence of the Philadelphia abnormality. Marked increase of serum soluble IL-2R alpha was demonstrated in the IL-2R alpha(+) patients examined. Clinically, the IL-2R alpha(+) patients showed significantly lower response to chemotherapy and poorer prognosis than IL-2R alpha(-) patients. Our results clearly indicate the diagnostic importance of IL-2R alpha expression in non-T acute leukaemia with a close relation to the particular cellular characteristics and the prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakase
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otsuji
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Anazawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sekine
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shirakawa
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nasu
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsutani
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000276:immunology; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000276:immunology; D010641:Phenotype; D015452:Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology; D011379:Prognosis; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2