c-kit gene expression in CD7-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia: close correlation with expression of myeloid-associated antigen CD13.
Nishii K,
Kita K,
Miwa H,
Kawakami K,
Nakase K,
Masuya M,
Morita N,
Omay SB,
Otsuji N,
Fukumoto M, et al.
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.
Expression of human c-kit proto-oncogene and interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells expressing CD7 was examined by Northern-blot analysis and reversed transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay in relation to the phenotypes. Leukemic cells from four out of 12 CD7+ ALL patients, all of which fulfilled the criteria of ALL in the FAB classification, expressed c-kit genes. Surface CD3 (sCD3) was absent in all of these cases, while cytoplasmic CD3 (cCD3) was found in the two sCD3- cases. CD3 epsilon transcripts were detected in one of the sCD3- cCD3- cases. IL-7R genes were transcribed in the three cases with c-kit gene expression. In addition, there was a good correlation between c-kit gene expression and myeloid associated antigen CD13 positivity of the leukemic cells. None of the patients with c-kit gene expression had mediastinal tumor. Our results show that leukemic cells in a proportion of CD7+ ALL express receptors for cytokines that are secreted by bone marrow stromal cells. Ligands for c-kit genes and IL-7 could play an important role for the regulation of proliferation and differentiation of T-cell progenitors in bone marrow.
PMID: 1378163 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]