Study of the CD3-associated T-cell receptors reveals further differences
between T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma and leukemia
C Gouttefangeas, A Bensussan and L Boumsell
INSERM U93, Hopital Saint-Louis, Paris, France.
We show further differences between two clinically related entities, T-
cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-
LL), by using several monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) reacting with either
constant or variable regions of T-cell receptors (TcR) alpha beta and gamma
delta or with various CD molecules. We analyzed a panel of 15 T-ALL and 15
T-LL selected for their cell surface expression of the CD3 molecules. The
results indicated that TcR gamma delta is more frequently used than TcR
alpha beta in T-ALL (10 of the 15 patients tested). This is in contrast to
the results obtained with T-LL where the vast majority expressed TcR alpha
beta (13 of the 15 patients). These findings suggest that the leukemic
cells could have a different origin in these two diseases. In addition,
analysis of TcR variable regions expressed by the leukemic blasts showed
that, in most cases, they had rearranged functional V delta 1 gene segments
(8 of 11 patients), whereas in a unique case V delta 2 gene segment was
used. Together, these results and those indicating that T-ALL cells
coexpress the CD1a, b, and c molecules strengthen the possibility that
although these leukemic cells express the CD3-TcR complex at their cell
surface, their normal counterparts are not found in peripheral blood.
Volume 75,
Issue 4,
pp. 931-934,
02/15/1990
Copyright © 1990 by The American Society of Hematology
