IL-2-dependent ATL cell lines with phenotypes differing from the original leukemia cells.
Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) cells have been shown to express the receptor for IL-2 by studies using anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody, but these cells usually show no or only a weak proliferative response to IL-2. In the present study, we established thirteen IL-2-dependent T-cell lines from four ATL patients. Examination of the clonalities of these cell lines by the rearrangement profiles of the TCR beta-chain gene and the integration sites of the HTLV-I proviral genome, revealed that two cell lines (KK-1 and KK-5) were of real ATL cell origin. The others were of normal T-cell origin and had been established by infection with HTLV-I. The KK-1 and KK-5 cell lines were derived from a single ATL patient (KK). Interestingly, these cells showed different phenotypic features from the majority of original leukemia cells (CD3 +/- CD4+ CD8-). The KK-1 cell line acquired CD8 antigen expression and became double-positive (CD3 +/- CD4+ CD8+), while the KK-5 cell line prominently expressed CD3 antigen (CD3+ CD4+ CD8-). These results indicate that the phenotypic feature of ATL cells are not fixed, but can change in vitro as has occasionally been observed in vivo.
Yamada
Y
Y
Department of Oncology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Nagata
Y
Y
Kamihira
S
S
Tagawa
M
M
Ichimaru
M
M
Tomonaga
M
M
Shiku
H
H
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology*; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D007376:Interleukin-2