title: Terminal transferase in leukemias by flow cytometry.
abstract: The object of this study was to develop a flow-cytometric procedure for measuring terminal transferase (TdT) in leukemic cells by indirect immunofluorescence. We demonstrated the presence of TdT in an average of approximately 80% of the cells from 12 patients with ALL, one with CML in lymphoid blast crisis, and one with T-lymphoblastic leukemia. These results compared favorably to a separate slide test for TdT using an immunofluorescent or immunoperoxidase method. In the 21 patients with nonlymphocytic leukemias and in six normal donors we studied, less than a mean of 3% of the cells were TdT+. In 11 of 12 patients with ALL, the TdT+ cells also carried the HLA-DR antigen and in 8 of 12 cases of ALL the TdT+ cells also expressed the CALLA antigen. We concluded that the flow-cytometric method facilitates the measurement of TdT and may significantly increase the ability to diagnose residual and recurrent ALL leukemias.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Loftin
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Reuben
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hersh
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sujansky
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D004253:DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase / Q000032:analysis*; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000032:analysis*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases; D004253:DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase