Functional and phenotypic comparison of human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus positive adult T cell leukemia with human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus negative Sézary leukemia, and their distinction using anti-Tac. Monoclonal antibody identifying the human receptor for T cell growth factor.
Adult T cell leukemia (ATL) and Sézary leukemia are malignant proliferations of T lymphocytes that share similar cell morphology and clinical features. ATL is associated with HTLV (human T cell leukemia/lymphoma virus), a unique human type C retrovirus, whereas most patients with the Sézary syndrome do not have antibodies to this virus. Leukemic cells of both groups were of the T3, T4-positive, T8-negative phenotype. Despite the similar phenotype, HTLV-negative Sézary leukemic cells frequently functioned as helper cells, whereas some HTLV-positive ATL and HTLV-positive Sézary cells appeared to function as suppressors of immunoglobulin synthesis. One can distinguish the HTLV-positive from the HTLV-negative leukemias using a monoclonal antibody (anti-Tac) that appears to identify the human receptor for T cell growth factor (TCGF). Resting normal T cells and most HTLV-negative Sézary cells were Tac-negative, whereas all ATL cell populations were Tac-positive. The observation that ATL cells manifest TCGF receptors suggests the possibility that an abnormality of the TCGF-TCGF receptor system may partially explain the uncontrolled growth of these cells.
D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000917:Antibody Formation; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010641:Phenotype; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000032:analysis*; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D012016:Reference Values; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012751:Sezary Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2