title: Leukemic T cells are specifically enriched in a unique CD3(dim) CD7(low) subpopulation of CD4(+) T cells in acute-type adult T-cell leukemia.
abstract: The morphological discrimination of leukemic from non-leukemic T cells is often difficult in adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) as ATL cells show morphological diversity, with the exception of typical "flower cells." Because defects in the expression of CD3 as well as CD7 are common in ATL cells, we applied multi-color flow cytometry to detect a putative leukemia-specific cell population in the peripheral blood from ATL patients. CD4(+) CD14(-) cells subjected to two-color analysis based on a CD3 vs CD7 plot clearly demonstrated the presence of a CD3(dim) CD7(low) subpopulation in each of nine patients with acute-type ATL. The majority of sorted cells from this fraction showed a flower cell-like morphology and carried a high proviral load for the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-I). Genomic integration site analysis (inverse long-range PCR) and analysis of the T cell receptor Vβ repertoire by flow cytometry indicated that the majority of leukemia cells were included in the CD3(dim) CD7(low) subpopulation. These results suggest that leukemic T cells are specifically enriched in a unique CD3(dim) CD7(low) subpopulation of CD4(+) T cells in acute-type ATL.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Therapy, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yamin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Seiichro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Masamichi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isobe
authors.forename: Mayuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zaike
authors.forename: Nobukazu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kenzaburo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: Arinobu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tojo
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uchimaru
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D019011:Antigens, CD7 / Q000032:analysis*; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D019011:Antigens, CD7; D017252:CD3 Complex