Morphological variants of leukemic cells in B chronic lymphocytic leukemia are associated with different T cell and NK cell abnormalities.
B chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is a heterogeneous disease. The different morphological variants of leukemic B cells appear to define different clinical groups of patients. Several abnormalities have been found in T lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells from B-CLL patients. We have investigated the phenotypic and functional characteristics of purified CD2+ cells from B-CLL patients at Binet's stage A and classified according to the neoplastic B lymphocyte morphology criteria: 32 patients with typical B-CLL and 12 patients with atypical B-CLL. Forty-three age and sex matched healthy controls were also studied. In fresh purified CD2+ cells from typical B-CLL patients, percentages of CD4+, CD4+CD45RA+, CD8+CD45RA+ T lymphocytes and CD3-CD56+ (NK) cells were significantly higher than those found in atypical B-CLL patients. However, in DC2+ cells from typical B-CLL patients, percentages of CD3+, CD3+DR+, CD8+, CD4+CD45RO+, and CD3+CD56+ cells were significantly lower than those found in atypical B-CLL patients. Increased percentage of NK cells was only found in typical B-CLL patients. The proliferative response and the production of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4 by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated CD2+ cells were significantly higher in typical B-CLL patients than in atypical B-CLL patients. We concluded that different patterns of phenotypic and functional alterations in the T lymphocytes and NK cells of B-CLL patients are found in patients with typical or atypical B-CLL defined according to the morphology of the leukemic cells.
Reyes
E
E
Principe de Asturias University Hospital, Department of Medicine, University of Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
Prieto
A
A
Carrion
F
F
Garcia-Suarez
J
J
Esquivel
F
F
Alvarez-Mon
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D018801:CD2 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000032:analysis; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D018801:CD2 Antigens; D017252:CD3 Complex; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D019002:CD56 Antigen; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens