title: Fucose binding lectin for characterizing acute myeloid leukemia progenitor cells.
abstract: The reactivity of acute myeloid leukemia cells (AML) was determined in 29 patients using the fucose binding lectin Ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA) as surface marker. We show a marked heterogeneity in the UEA-binding abilities of the cells in these patients as determined by fluorescence analysis of the blasts labeled with the UEA coupled to the fluorescent molecule FITC. The results suggest a correlation between the capability of AML blast cells to bind UEA and cytologic maturation, because in 1 of 10 M1, 3 of 8 M2, 6 of 8 M4, and 1 of 3 M5 cytology types UEA binding to the leukemic cells was apparent. In 13 cases, the cells gave rise to colonies in vitro. The amount of UEA binding to AML colony-forming cells (AML-CFU) was determined by cell sorting and subsequent colony culture of UEA-negative, intermediately positive, and highly fluorescent cells. AML-CFU from none of the four patients with M1 cytology were UEA positive, whereas they showed intense reactivity with the lectin in 1 of 4 cases with M2 cytology and in all 4 cases of M4. In these five cases with strongly UEA positive AML-CFU, the fluorescence distribution of the colony formers differed from that of the total leukemia population, indicating that AML-CFU represent a subpopulation of AML cells with specific UEA-binding properties. Normal bone marrow myeloid and multipotential colony-forming cells (CFU-GM, CFU-GEMM) showed low or no binding of UEA. UEA-FITC appears a useful reagent for membrane analysis of AML-CFU. In certain cases, UEA-FITC labeling may be applied to discriminate AML-CFU from normal hematopoietic progenitors.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delwel
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Touw
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bot
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Löwenberg
mesh_terms: D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D037102:Lectins; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D037102:Lectins; C027112:fucose-binding lectin