Leukaemia of novel gastrointestinal T-lymphocyte population infected with HTLV-I.
In a 72-year-old man with watery diarrhoea and leukocytosis the proliferation of abnormal cells was studied in specimens obtained by endoscopic biopsy of the gastrointestinal tract. Flow cytometry of leukaemia cells revealed a monoclonal expansion of "double-negative" (CD4-, CD8-) cells bearing T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha beta products. Southern blotting confirmed monoclonal integration of HTLV-I. A novel T-cell subset of double-negative TCR alpha beta cells in the gastrointestinal tract in adult man may be a target for HTLV-I infection.
Hattori
T
T
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan.
Asou
N
N
Suzushima
H
H
Takatsuki
K
K
Tanaka
K
K
Naito
K
K
Natori
H
H
Oizumi
K
K
D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D012809:Colon, Sigmoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000235:genetics; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015481:HTLV-I Antibodies