Leukemic cells from some adult T-cell leukemia patients proliferate in
response to interleukin-4
T Uchiyama, M Kamio, T Kodaka, S Tamori, S Fukuhara, R Amakawa, H Uchino and K Araki
First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto
University, Japan.
The proliferative response of fresh peripheral blood leukemic cells from
eight adult T cell leukemia (ATL) patients to interleukin-4 (IL-4) was
studied to determine the possibility that the IL-4-mediated T-cell growth
pathway is involved in the cell growth of leukemic cells in ATL. Resting
lymphocytes from ten normal individuals did not proliferate in response to
IL-4. Leukemic cells from two ATL patients did not respond to interleukin-2
(IL-2) or IL-4. Leukemic cells from two patients did respond to IL-2, but
not to IL-4. In contrast, a strong proliferative response was observed in
the IL-4 culture, but not in the IL-2 culture in the remaining four
patients. Chromosome analysis of mitotic cells, performed in one of four
patients, confirmed that the cells dividing in response to IL-4 were
leukemic cells, but not activated normal lymphocytes. These results
indicate the activation of IL-4/IL-4 receptor system in leukemic cells from
some ATL patients and suggest the possible involvement of the system in the
proliferation of leukemic cells and the leukemogenesis in ATL.
Volume 72,
Issue 4,
pp. 1182-1186,
10/01/1988
Copyright © 1988 by The American Society of Hematology
