title: Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia derived from a possible common progenitor of monocytes and natural killer cells.
abstract: The neural cell adhesion molecule, CD56, is expressed on acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cells in 17-20% of the patients. However, the clinical and biological significance of its expression in AML has not been well analyzed from the standpoint of CD56 expression and its association with differentiation to a natural killer (NK) cell lineage. Here we present a 78-year-old patient with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) whose leukemic cells had features of both monocytes and NK cells. We demonstrated that the leukemic cells were positive for CD4, CD56 and interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor beta chain (CD112) in addition to myelomonocytic markers such as CD33, CD11b and CD11c. These leukemic cells proliferated well in vitro in response to 10-100 U/ml of IL-2, and functionally showed significant cytotoxicity against K562 target cells in a 4-hour (51) Cr release assay. All the above data indicate that these cells possessed at least some of the biological features of NK cells. Accordingly, we speculate that the leukemic cells in this patient may have been derived from a possible common progenitor of monocytes and NK cells.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba. Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. hkojima@md.tsukuba.ac.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Mukai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komeno
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hasegawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000032:analysis; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D039521:CD11c Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D019070:Cell Lineage; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D053646:Interleukin-2 Receptor beta Subunit; D020014:K562 Cells; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D015477:Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000032:analysis; D063268:Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 3
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D039481:CD11b Antigen; D039521:CD11c Antigen; C571163:CD33 protein, human; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D019002:CD56 Antigen; C508020:IL2RB protein, human; D053646:Interleukin-2 Receptor beta Subunit; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D063268:Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 3