Nonspecific cross-reacting antigen in normal and leukemic myeloid cells and serum of leukemic patients
Wahren, B.; Gahrton, G.; Hammarström, S.
Cancer Research 40(6): 2039-2044
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-5472 PMID: 6929221 Document Number: 163525
Nonspecific cross-reacting antigen (NCA) was demonstrated in myeloid cells from 20 nonleukemic persons, 16 patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia and 8 patients with chronic myelocytic leukemia. Two independent methods were used: immunofluorescence combined with microfluorometry of single cells, and radioimmunoassay of lysates of bone marrow or separated cell fractions. In nonleukemic and leukemic cells, the NCA values were high in neutrophils and low or nondetectable in mononuclear cells. In the bone marrow, myelocytes and metamyelocytes usually had higher individual NCA immunofluorescence values than did neutrophils. Myeloblasts and erythroblasts had no detectable NCA. Bone marrow cells cultured in vitro contained NCA. Carcinoembryonic antigen was low or not detectable in all blood and bone marrow cells. The radioimmunoassay results of cell lysates were dependent on the maturity of the myeloid cells in each fraction. Acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia bone marrow contained significantly less NCA per 106 cells than did bone marrow of nonleukemic subjects. Chronic myelocytic leukemia patients had high NCA levels in cell fractions from peripheral blood. Serum NCA was raised to a mean of 262 ng NCA/ml for chronic myelocytic leukemia patients, compared to 51 ng/ml for nonleukemic and 55 ng/ml for acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia patients. The raised serum NCA was related to an increased number of immature and mature myeloid cells in the peripheral blood of leukemic patients and could reach values 500 ng/ml in untreated subjects.