Human leukemia-associated antigen: relation to a family of surface glycoproteins

A heteroantiserum raised to leukemic cells of a patient with non-T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been extensively absorbed with cells from a leukemic T cell line and an autologous B lymphoblastoid cell line to produce a common ALL antiserum (CALLA). CALLA is specific for leukemic cells of most patients with non-T cell ALL and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in lymphoid blast crisis. It has been extensively tested on a wide variety of normal cells and is unreactive with them. CALLA identifies a surface glycoprotein having a m.w. of approximately 100,000 on reactive cell populations. In contrast, partially absorbed anti-ALL sera detect a similar glycoprotein band on CALLA-negative B and T cell lines. The glycoprotein identified by CALLA has been isolated and used as an immunogen. This new antiserum (C129) detects a 100,000-dalton glycoprotein not only on CALLA-positive cell populations but also on most CALLA-negative normal and malignant hematopoietic cells and on B and T cell lines. We conclude that there exists a family of 100,000-dalton glycoproteins that are present on a variety of normal, transformed, and malignant cells and that possess shared as well as unique antigenic regions. The expression of at least one of these antigens, detected by CALLA, may be tumor specific.

Human leukemia-associated antigen: relation to a family of surface glycoproteins

A heteroantiserum raised to leukemic cells of a patient with non-T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been extensively absorbed with cells from a leukemic T cell line and an autologous B lymphoblastoid cell line to produce a common ALL antiserum (CALLA). CALLA is specific for leukemic cells of most patients with non-T cell ALL and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in lymphoid blast crisis. It has been extensively tested on a wide variety of normal cells and is unreactive with them. CALLA identifies a surface glycoprotein having a m.w. of approximately 100,000 on reactive cell populations. In contrast, partially absorbed anti-ALL sera detect a similar glycoprotein band on CALLA-negative B and T cell lines. The glycoprotein identified by CALLA has been isolated and used as an immunogen. This new antiserum (C129) detects a 100,000-dalton glycoprotein not only on CALLA-positive cell populations but also on most CALLA-negative normal and malignant hematopoietic cells and on B and T cell lines. We conclude that there exists a family of 100,000-dalton glycoproteins that are present on a variety of normal, transformed, and malignant cells and that possess shared as well as unique antigenic regions. The expression of at least one of these antigens, detected by CALLA, may be tumor specific.

Cell surface antigens: prognostic implications in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Lymphoblasts from 93 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were characterized by immunologic cell surface markers. These patients were treated on a single protocol, featuring adriamycin therapy during remission, and have been followed from 2 to 6.5 yr (median 4 yr). Three classes of patients were defined serologically: HTA+ Ia- CALLA-, Ia+ CALLA+ HTA-, and Ia+ CALLA- HTA-. Disease-free survival and sites of relapse were assessed within immunologic subsets. Similar to the findings of others, T-cell (HTA+ Ia-) patients fared poorly as compared to non-T-cell (Ia+ HTA-) patients (median disease-free survival was 12 and 47 mo. respectively; p = 0.0004). The majority of relapses in the HTA+ patients occurred at extramedullary sites. Late testicular relapse was rare among Ia+ patients. In addition, the "common ALL antigen" (CALLA) may identify a relatively favorable subset within the Ia+ population. The prognostic value of the immunologic markers was compared with traditional clinical factors. There was much overlap between HTA+, older age, and elevated WBC. However, neither age nor WBC alone were of prognostic significance among the Ia+ patients. We conclude that surface markers define both biologic and prognostic characteristics. The course of childhood ALL must be viewed in the context of homogeneous subsets and within particular therapeutic programs.

A monoclonal antibody to human acute lymphoblastic leukaemia antigen

Previous studies by Greaves and others have demonstrated the existence of an antigen associated with cells from many patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and some patients with chronic myelocytic leukamemia (CML) in blast crisis. Antisera to this common ALL antigen (CALLA) have been produced in rabbits and require extensive absorption which limits both the titre and quantity of antisera that can be generated and may result in variable specificity in different laboratories. The method for generation of specific antibody by somatic cell hybridisation introduced by kohler and Milstein has been successfully used to produce monoclonal antibodies against various normal human cell-surface proteins, including beta 2 microglobulin, histocompatibility antigens, thymocyte and peripheral T-cell antigens and Ia-like antigens. The present report describes the generation and characterisation of a monoclonal antibody specific for a common ALL antigen (CALLA) previously identified by conventional heteroantisera.

Leukemia-associated antigens in ALL

A cytotoxic common ALL antiserum (CALLA) specific for leukemic cells of most patients with non-T-cel- acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and of some patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in blast crisis has been reproducibly prepared using cell lines for absorption. CALLA reacts with leukemic cells of 110 of 134 patients (82%) with non-T-cell ALL; 1 of 71 (1%) patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML); 2 of 7 patients (29%) with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis; 7 of 92 patients (8%) with other hematologic malignancies; and with the leukemic cell lines Laz 221 and NALM-1. It does not react with the normal hematopoietic cells, B- or T-cell lines, or cells from 26 patients with T-cell ALL that were tested. CALLA reactivity and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining correlate poorly, with CALLA reacting with cells from 86% (64 of 74) of patients with PAS-positive and 76% (29 of 38) of those with PAS-negative non-T-cell ALL. In these patients, CALLA reacts with cells from 89% of those under age 12 (78 of 88); 74% of those aged 12--20 (20 of 27); and 58% of those over 20 (11 of 19). Using only CALLA and antisera specific for Ia-like and T-cell antigens, we can now distinguish most cases of ALL from AML and other hematologic malignancies.

Ia determinants on human T-cell subsets defined by monoclonal antibody. Activation stimuli required for expression

The nature of Ia antigens which appear on human T cells after activation and the stimuli required for their expression was examined utilizing a monoclonal antibody reactive with the Ia antigen framework. T cells were purified using monoclonal antibodies directed either at the entire T-cell population (OKT3) or the T-cell inducer subset (OKT4). By indirect immunofluorescence, it was shown that the human T-cell population contains no detectable Ia+ cells in the resting state. In contrast, in excess of 60% of the T-cell population expresses Ia antigen after alloactivation in the mixed lymphocyte culture. Moreover, these Ia antigens are expressed within both the OKT4+ and OKT4- subsets. Similarly, phytohemagglutinin and concanavalin A induced approximately 20% of peripheral T cells to express Ia antigen and the expression of these antigens is not restricted to either OKT4 subset. In contrast, only the inducer T-cell population which proliferates maximally to soluble antigen expresses Ia antigens after activation by tetanus toxoid. Thus, the expression of human Ia antigens on unique T-cell subsets depends upon the activation stimuli utilized and ability of the individual subset to respond to a given stimulus. Additional studies indicated that Ia antigens appear on previously Ia- T cells after activation and do not result from clonal expansion of a small subset of Ia+ T cells.

Systemic mastocytosis associated with presence of rheumatoid factor

We encountered a case of systemic mast cell disease associated with rheumatoid factor; to our knowledge, this has not been reported in the literature. Rheumatoid arthritis as an unrelated second disease cannot be excluded, but there is support for a relation between joint symptoms, rheumatoid factor, and the mast cell disease.