Mitogen activation of human lymphocytes from normal and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) subjects.
Lymphocytes from acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) subjects were converted by mitogens to blast-like cells whose microscopic appearance and rate of formation was indistinguishable from those in mitogen incubated control lymphocytes. In ALL lymphocytes, however, pokeweed mitogen (PWM) failed to stimulate GGT expression; the mean increase it caused in thymidine kinase (TK) activity and thymidine incorporation was normal, though there were appreciable individual variations. These variations were also apparent with concanavalin A (Con A) but, in most ALL cases, TK and thymidine incorporation rose to much higher levels than in Con-A-treated control lymphocytes. The results indicate that evaluation of the response to mitogens by quantitative biochemical criteria provides a sensitive method for revealing functional impairments in microscopically normal ALL lymphocytes.
Russo
S A
SA
Department of Biochemistry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
Tugal
O L
OL
Harris
M B
MB
Greengard
O
O
D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004261:DNA Replication; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology; D012016:Reference Values; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*
D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens; D003208:Concanavalin A; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D013937:Thymidine Kinase