Increased susceptibility of peripheral mononuclear cells of leukemic
patients to HTLV-I infection in vitro
G Graziani, D Pasqualetti, M Lopez, C D'Onofrio, AM Testi, F Mandelli, RC Gallo and E Bonmassar
Peripheral mononuclear cells (MNC) collected from 12 healthy donors and 44
leukemic patients at various stages of the disease were tested for natural
killer (NK) activity and for their susceptibility to HTLV-I infection in
vitro, measured in terms of percentage of p19 positive cells. MNC from
leukemic donors at any stage of leukemia (ie, onset or relapse, ON/REL;
complete remission or off-therapy, CR/OT donors) were highly susceptible to
HTLV-I infection. This was true for acute leukemias of lymphoblastic (ALL)
or nonlymphoblastic (ANLL) type. MNC of ON/REL patients were more
susceptible to HTLV-I than those of CR/OT donors. In addition, leukemic
blasts were more rapidly infected (ie, within five to seven days) than the
HTLV-I-susceptible normal cord- blood lymphocytes. However, the presence of
circulating blasts was not essential to virus susceptibility, since CR/OT
MNC, presumably free of leukemic blasts, were still more susceptible to
HTLV-I than normal cells. Basal NK function of MNC from leukemic patients
was significantly lower than that detectable in healthy controls. However,
no correlation was found between susceptibility to HTLV-I infection and NK
activity.
Volume 69,
Issue 4,
pp. 1175-1181,
04/01/1987
Copyright © 1987 by The American Society of Hematology
