title: Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activities and glucocorticoid receptors in leukaemia.
abstract: The relation between terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) activity, glucocorticoid (GC) receptors and the effect of vincristine-prednisolone (VP) therapy on fresh leukaemia cases was examined. Five of 6 TdT+ leukaemias showed high levels of GC receptors and a favourable response to VP therapy, whereas 1 acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and 3 of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) cases in blast crisis with no TdT activity showed low level of GC receptors and poor response to VP therapy. Significant correlation (r = 0.821, P less than 0.01) was observed between TdT activity and the number of GC receptor sites in these cases. X2 test showed significant difference (P less than 0.01) between TdT+ and TdT- leukaemias in the effect of VP. A significant difference (P less than 0.01) was also observed between VP-effective and ineffective leukaemias in the number of GC-receptor sites by unpaired t test. Therefore GC receptors may be responsible for the effect of VP on TdT+ leukaemias.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000201:enzymology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004253:DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000378:metabolism; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism*; D011987:Receptors, Steroid / Q000378:metabolism*; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D011987:Receptors, Steroid; D014750:Vincristine; D003907:Dexamethasone; D011239:Prednisolone; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases; D004253:DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase