Identification of human mononuclear cells by anti-monocyte serum

The use of monoclonal antibodies for the identification and classification of acute myeloid leukemias

We reviewed a library of monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) detecting antigens on myelomonocytic cells and analysed their reactivity patterns as reported in the literature. On the basis of the frequency of positivity with the myelocytic variants (FAB M1-3) or monocytic variants (FAB M4/5) of acute myeloid leukemias, the MoAbs were assigned to one of four groups. MoAbs of Group I identified most cases of both the myelocytic and the monocytic cell lineages ('pan-myelomonocytic' reactivity) and can be used to identify acute myeloid leukemias regardless of the subtype. Group II comprised MoAbs which reacted with the majority of FAB M1-3 cases, but showed a preference in reactivity with AMMoL/AMoL cases (reactivity: myelocytic partly, monocytic predominantly). MoAbs of Group III stained most cases with monocytic phenotypes, but labelled only a small percentage of non-monocytic cases. These MoAbs are valuable tools for the detection of cases with monocytic features. Group IV MoAbs reacted with a small to intermediate percentage of myelocytic and/or monocytic cases. Besides their diagnostic application MoAbs might be used in new therapeutic approaches such as in-vivo serotherapy with MoAbs and purging of autologous bone marrow for transplantation. None of the described MoAbs appear to be leukemia-specific. Many MoAbs have been produced against non-myelomonocytic cells and were reactive with cells outside the myelomonocytic cell lineages and the hematopoietic system. Other MoAbs with apparent cell lineage-restricted reactivity regarding normal cells stained leukemic cells of other cell lineages. This phenomenon of translineage reactivity of leukemic cells with mutually exclusive markers indicating a biphenotypic marker profile might be the result of abnormal, disregulated gene expression. New classification systems of acute myeloid leukemias based on immunological marker profiles have been proposed. The analysis of reactivity of normal and malignant myelomonocytic cells with MoAbs has led to refined differentiation schemes of the normal hematopoiesis.

Alternative myelomonocytic differentiation of HL-60 reflects dual prospective potency of promyelocytes in human

The permanent promyelocytic cell line HL-60 was subjected to stimulation with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and retinoic acid (RA), as well as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and lymphokine conditioned media for the induction of granulocytic or monocytic differentiation, respectively. Cells were investigated cytochemically using alpha-naphthylacetate esterase (acid esterase; AcE), naphthol AS-D chloroacetate esterase, and peroxidase reactions. In addition, the granulocyte or monocyte specific isoenzyme patterns of AcE as an intracytoplasmic property and the immunoreactivity to monoclonal antibodies recognizing granulocytes and monocytes (Ki-M2, Ki-M5) or monocytes alone (Ki-M1) were considered. The results indicated that HL-60 cell line bear the potency to evolve into granulocytes as well as monocytes. Additional studies performed on normal human bone marrow stained for AcE led to the conclusion that the myeloid cell line remains bipolar until the maturation stage of promyelocytes. Myelocytes being AcE positive only in 11.5 +/- 5.0 are heterogeneous and display the first indications of separated monocytic or granulocytic differentiation.

Membrane antigens of human cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage studied with monoclonal antibodies

Three monoclonal antibodies, FMC17, FMC32, and FMC33 directed against human cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage are described. The antibodies react strongly with blood monocytes and weakly, if at all, with granulocytes. Lymphoid cells are not stained. In tissue sections macrophages and interdigitating reticulum cells are stained. Lymphoid leukemia cells generally do not react with the antibodies, while myeloid leukemia cells give a variable pattern, with relatively differentiated cells more likely to react than undifferentiated cells. Differences between the 3 antibodies in their reactivity with leukemic cells and tissue macrophages indicate that they are directed against distinct antigens, which may serve as differentiation markers in the monocyte/macrophage lineage.

The reaction of xenogeneic and monoclonal antisera with Reed-Sternberg cells

Xenogeneic antisera have been prepared against human monocytes, B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes. The reactivity of these antisera against a variety of normal and neoplastic cells is described. Reed-Sternberg cells from three cases of Hodgkin's disease failed to react with xenogeneic anti-T and anti-monocyte sera, but reacted with an anti-B serum. A further three cases were examined with monoclonal antibodies. Negative results were obtained with monoclonal anti-T and positive results were given by monoclonal antibodies directed against DR and HLA antigens.

Acute monocytic leukemia: a surface marker study

Thirteen cases of acute monocytic leukemia (AMoL) were studied morphologically, cytochemically, and immunologically in an attempt to determine similarities and/or differences between acute monocytic and lymphocytic leukemias. Single class surface immunoglobulins (IgG kappa) were seen in six cases. These markers are thought to represent serum immunoglobulins attached to the leukemic monocytes via the receptors for the Fc portion of immunoglobulin and are not synthesized by the cells as is the case with B lymphocytes. Receptors for complement were also noted. It appears that surface immunoglobulins and receptors for the Fc portion of the immunoglobulin and complement, which are found on several classes of normal lymphocytes and monocytes, may also be found on leukemic monocytes. Antisera to B lymphocytes, detecting HlA-DRw antigens, also reacted with some of the leukemic monocytes.

Acute monocytic leukemias

Normal monocytes and macrophages are characterized by peculiar ultrastructural and cytochemical features and, in addition, show characteristic membrane properties, a variety of special functional capacities, and important secretory activities. Almost all these cytological features can also be detected in leukemic monocytic cells, and it is quite conceivable that these peculiar features may influence or determine the clinical syndrome associated with the leukemic accumulation of monocytic cells. The morphological identification of monocytic leukemias is a very intriguing diagnostic problem and some controversies still exist concerning their cytological classification. For clinical as well as scientific purposes the diagnosis of monocytic leukemias should rely on the demonstration of specific monocytic features of the leukemic cells. Clinical findings frequently associated with acute monocytic leukemia include increased frequency of leukemic tissue infiltrations as well as increased tendency to hypokalemia and - especially in the "immature" variants - to disorders of hemostasis.

Ingestion of dyed-opsonised yeasts as a simple way of detecting phagocytes in lymphocyte preparations. Cytophilic binding of immunoglobulins by ingesting cells

Procion-dyed yeasts which have been incubated in fresh serum and washed are readily ingested by human blood monocytes and tumour macrophages during a 30 min incubation period. Uptake is enhanced by centrifugation. Intracellular yeasts can be readily distinquished from extracellular by their much slower uptake of toluidine blue. Yeast ingestion is a much more reliable test for blood monocytes than the latex bead test and it is easier to read. The ingestion test may be combined with a rosette test for surface immunoglobulins (SmIg). Since the yeasts take up immunoglobulins from human serum during the complement-coating stage it is necessary, in a combined ingestion-SmIg test, to use fresh serum from another species (sheep) for opsonisation of the yeasts. A technique is described for reducing the number of immunoglobulin-bearing monocytes to a low level with a combined ingestion-SmIg rosette technique to detect residual immunoglobulin-bearing phagocytes.

Properties of anti-hairy cell serum

An antiserum was prepared in rabbits against hairy leukaemic cells. After absorption with human erythrocytes, thymus and liver powder, the serum was passed through immunoabsorbent columns to remove extensive anti-plasma protein activity. Following these procedures, sensitive techniques failed to reveal residual activity against alpha-macroglobulins, beta2-microglobulin and other human plasma proteins. The antiserum reacted with normal B lymphocytes but not with T lymphocytes or monocytes. Positive reactions were seen in B cell lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, hairy-cell leukaemia and uninucleated Reed-Sternberg cells.

Morphological and immunological similarity of the monocytes from pure and mixed monocytic leukaemias

Morphological and immunological marker data on a patient with 'pure' monocytic leukaemia are presented and compared with those of 6 cases of clearly mixed myelomonocytic leukaemia with a variable monocytic component. In all patients studied, the leukaemic monocytes expressed a receptor for the Fc of IgG, and IgG sensitization markedly enhanced phagocytosis of ox erythrocytes. A variable, but lower, percentage of the leukaemic monocytes had a receptor for mouse C3, but the cells uniformly lacked surface immunoglobulin and receptors for the Fc of IgM and for unsensitised mouse erythrocytes. Cytochemical and ultrastructural study also showed no clear difference between the monocytes of the 'pure' and mixed monocytic leukaemias. This report therefore lends no support to the concept of distinct types of monocytic leukaemia.

Surface membrane characteristics of cells from human acute monocytic leukaemia

The clinical and laboratory features of 4 patients with acute monocytic leukaemia are described. Surface membrane receptor studies of these patients have shown increasing strength of receptor expression occurs with increasing morphological maturity of the monocyte. In addition, the study shows that expression of membrane receptors can vary from patient to patient and also with time and treatment in an individual patient. A further finding has been the loss of positivity with specific anti-monocyte serum when the disease becomes refractory to therapy.

Maturation linked expression of a myeloid cell surface antigen

An antiserum raised against myelomonocytic and monocytic leukaemia cells has been used to define a cell surface antigen shared by normal and leukaemic cells of the granulocyte and monocyte cell lines. The quantitative expression of this antigen was investigated using the Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter and was shown to correlate with the degree of morphological maturation.

Rosetting and other reactions of the Reed-Sternberg cell

Clustering of lymphocytes around Reed-Sternberg cells was noticed in single cell suspensions made from viable Hodgkin's lymphoid tissue. Cytocentrifugation of the suspension showed that clustering also occurred around a smaller cell type, thought to be the precursor of the classical Reed-Sternberg cell. Time-lapse cine films taken of the clustering showed unceasing activity on the part of the lymphocytes migrating over the surface of the central cell. Reed-Sternberg cells were reacted with anti-monocyte serum using indirect fluorescence techniques. In its mature form at least, the Reed-Sternberg cell showed no activity with the antiserum. No immunoglobulin was detected in the Reed-Sternberg cell using fluorescence techniques, but a few Reed-Sternberg cells showed diffuse cytoplasmic staining using the peroxidase-labelled antibody technique. Membrane receptor tests showed the lymphocytes surrounding the Reed-Sternberg cell to be T-cells. After proteolytic enzyme treatment to free lymphocytes from the surface, the Reed-Sternberg cell bound IgG-coated red blood cells indicating a probable Fc receptor. Cytochemistry demonstrated weak non-specific esterase activity in a small minority of Reed-Sternberg cells, and absence of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and peroxidase. A subpopulation of lymphocytes with distinctive segmentation of the nucleus was noted. These were often to be seen participating in lymphocyte rosettes around the Reed-Sternberg cell.