title: Total and surface-located sialic acid levels in normal and leukaemic lymphocytes: relationship to T and B cell nature and to location in vivo.
abstract: Unfractionated normal blood lymphocytes (predominantly T lymphocytes) showed significantly elevated total and neuraminidase-susceptible sialic acid compared with CLL lymphocytes (predominantly B lymphocytes). T-enriched fractions from normal blood contained about three-fold the sialic acid content of the corresponding T-depleted fractions, and similarly low values were also obtained for T-depleted fractions from tonsils. Thus the reduced sialic acid levels in CLL lymphocytes appear to be due to their B cell nature. In contrast to the situation in normal peripheral venous blood, tonsillar T and B cells did not differ markedly in sialic acid content, suggesting that for T cells maturity and/or location in vivo are important determinants of this parameters. Results with calf thymocytes were in agreement with this. Sialic acid was estimated in malignant B and T lymphoblasts. Shedding of sialic acid-containing moieties from lymphocytes was also examined.
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D001954:Brinolase / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000097:blood*; D009439:Neuraminidase / Q000494:pharmacology; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000378:metabolism; D012794:Sialic Acids / Q000097:blood*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012794:Sialic Acids; D009439:Neuraminidase; D001954:Brinolase