title: Growth of certain myeloid leukemic cells can be stimulated by interleukin-2.
abstract: The effect of recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) on the proliferation of T-cell depleted leukemic blasts was evaluated in 23 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). For this purpose, the effect of IL-2 on cell growth, [3H]-thymidine incorporation into the blasts and the expression of IL-2 receptors on cell surface using T-cell depleted blasts were studied. The results showed that IL-2 stimulated [3H]-thymidine incorporation significantly in blasts of 8 out of 23 cases of AML. An IL-2 induced increase in cell number was directly demonstrated in seven out of eight IL-2 responsive patients studied. IL-2 stimulated the proliferation of blasts in monocytic lineage (M4 and M5), but not all M4/M5 leukemics responded to rIL-2. Stimulation of the growth of leukemic cells was not correlated with the expression of Tac antigen on the cell surface, but it was significantly correlated with the expression of IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) beta chain on the cell surface. These results indicate that IL-2 is an active growth factor in certain myeloid leukemia cells, especially of monocytic type.
authors.affiliation: Nagoya National Hospital, Department of Clinical Research, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins