title: Characterization of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells with low density of surface membrane bound immunoglobulins (smIg).
abstract: The study consists of 6 CLL patients with leukemic blood lymphocytes lacking T-cell characteristics and with smIg on only a very small fraction of the cells detected by microscopy or FACS analysis after direct immunofluorescence (IFL) staining. Using B-cell specific monoclonal antibodies all leukemias were found to be of the B-cell type. SmIg, mainly of IgD-class and the monotypic light chain, was detected on a large number of cells in all cases when using direct IFL. No lymphocyte clone was judged to be of the pre-B-cell type or represented fully differentiated terminal B-cells. CLL cells from the individual cases probably represent intermediate B-cell maturation steps. The results lend no support to the suggestion that this subtype of CLL necessarily belongs to an early stage of differentiation just beyond the pre-B-cell level.
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000276:immunology*; D015260:Neprilysin; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000032:analysis*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D015260:Neprilysin; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate