title: Functional interleukin-2 receptors are expressed on natural killer-like leukemic cells from a dog with cutaneous lymphoma.
abstract: We identified a dog with large granular lymphocytic leukemia and cutaneous lymphoma that exhibited constitutive expression of interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptors by the leukemic peripheral blood lymphocytes. The leukemic cells phenotypically resembled natural killer (NK) cells, and their surface IL-2 receptors were functional, as determined by the capacity to bind human recombinant IL-2 with high-affinity resulting in the transduction of proliferation signals and in the development of lymphokine-activated killer cell activity. These cells produced IL-2 spontaneously, and they may have maintained their proliferative state through an IL-2-dependent autocrine growth pathway. Our results indicate that neoplastic lymphocytes of syndromes that involve circulating leukemic cells with dermotropism can originate from NK-like cells. Additionally, the data also suggest that proliferative conditions such as these may be the result of the aberrant production of IL-2. Further, this case illustrates the potential for the use of hematopoietic malignancies in the dog as a suitable animal model for immune targeting of IL-2 receptors as a novel treatment approach for similar malignancies of human beings.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison 53706, USA.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Helfand
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Modiano
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Soergel
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: MacWilliams
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Dubielzig
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hank
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Gelfand
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Sondel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins