Sialyl SSEA-1 antigen as a carbohydrate marker of human natural killer cells and immature lymphoid cells.
The distribution of a carbohydrate antigen, the sialyl SSEA-1 (sialyl Lex-i), in human lymphoid cells was investigated by flow cytometry with a specific monoclonal antibody, MoAb FH-6. We concluded that the lymphocytes positive for the sialyl SSEA-1 antigen present in normal peripheral blood (PB) are natural killer (NK) cells since the positive cells had an NK activity toward K562 cells, and most of the sialyl SSEA-1+ cells were simultaneously positive for Leu-11 (CD-16) and Leu-19. Essentially, no T and B cells, defined by Leu-4 (CD3) and Leu-16 (CD20), were positive for the sialyl SSEA-1 antigen in PB samples taken from healthy donors and patients with disorders unrelated to lymphoid malignancies. Among the malignant lymphoid cells, many sialylated SSEA-1+ cells were observed in large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia cells and some acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) blasts, but not in CLL cells or malignant lymphoma cells. Sialyl SSEA-1 was also positive in some cultured human lymphoid cell lines. We conclude that expression of the sialyl SSEA-1 antigen is strictly limited to a distinct population of NK cells among the mature lymphocytes in normal PB, but the antigen is present in a wide range of immature lymphoblasts of T- and B-cell lineages as well as the NK-cell lineage. The sialyl SSEA-1 antigen disappears from the surface of immature lymphocytes of T- and B-cell lineages during the course of maturation.
Ohmori
K
K
Department of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Sakyoku, Japan.
Yoneda
T
T
Ishihara
G
G
Shigeta
K
K
Hirashima
K
K
Kanai
M
M
Itai
S
S
Sasaoki
T
T
Arii
S
S
Arita
H
H
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000032:analysis; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000276:immunology; D016256:Lewis X Antigen; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012794:Sialic Acids; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000276:immunology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D006017:Glycolipids; D016256:Lewis X Antigen; D012794:Sialic Acids