title: CD19 expression in acute leukemia is not restricted to the cytogenetically aberrant populations.
abstract: Aberrant expression of the B lymphoid marker, CD19, in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has frequently been associated with t(8;21)(q22;q22). However, AML cases lacking t(8;21) may occasionally express CD19. We asked whether CD19 expression is restricted to the karyotypically abnormal leukemic cells in primary leukemia samples. We compared, by fluorescence in situ hybridization, CD19-positive and CD19-negative cells from nine patients with acute leukemia: three non-t(8;21) AML, three t(8;21) AML and three cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. There were no significant differences in karyotypic pattern between the CD19-positive and CD19-negative leukemic cells, raising the concern that therapeutically targeting CD19 for acute leukemia may not eradicate all malignant clones.
authors.affiliation: Leukemia Section, Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA.
authors.forename: Jawad
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Avinash V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Dharmadhikari
authors.forename: Sheila N J
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Sait
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deeb
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Eunice S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Meir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wetzler
mesh_terms: D018941:Antigens, CD19 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018941:Antigens, CD19