CD8-positive adult T-cell leukemia cells with an integrated defective HTLV-I genome show a paracrine growth to IL-2.
We describe a 50-year-old man with adult T-cell leukemia complicated by laryngeal tuberculosis whose tumor cells proliferate in response to IL-2 in a paracrine manner. On admission, the patient's white blood cell count was 17,900/mm3; 73% were abnormal lymphocytes with convoluted nuclei. FACS analysis showed that the tumor cells were CD4-negative, CD8-positive T cells. Southern blot analysis of tumor cells revealed integration of a defective HTLV-I genome lacking gag and pol genes. He was diagnosed with chronic ATL complicated by laryngeal tuberculosis. The primary leukemic cells expressed IL-2R alpha and IL-2R beta detected by FACS and Northern blot analysis and showed marked growth in response to exogenously added recombinant IL-2 in short-term cultures. Northern blot analysis did not show any IL-2 mRNA. We have previously demonstrated that primary leukemic cells from some ATL patients grow in response to IL-2 in an autocrine or paracrine manner. These results suggest that in CD8 ATL, IL-2 may be involved in a paracrine manner.
Matsushita
K
K
First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
Arima
N
N
Hidaka
S
S
Ohtsubo
H
H
Fujiwara
H
H
Fukumori
J
J
Tanaka
H
H
D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016679:Genome, Viral; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
D016827:CD8 Antigens; D007376:Interleukin-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger