Sézary T-cell-activating factor induces functional interleukin 2 receptors on T-cells derived from patients with Sézary syndrome
Abrams, J.T.; Ghosh, S.K.; DeFreitas, E.
Cancer Research 53(22): 5501-5506
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-5472 PMID: 8221690 Document Number: 409514
Sezary syndrome is the leukemic form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma characterized by circulating neoplastic CD4+ T-cells. Although peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with Sezary syndrome have been shown to respond poorly to mitogens, we found that mitogen-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from four of five patients with Sezary syndrome produce a 28 kDa protein termed Sezary T-cell activating factor (SAF). SAF renders nonproliferating "resting" T-cells from leukemic patients or healthy donors responsive to interleukin 2 in the absence of a costimulator. We demonstrate that SAF induces functional, high-affinity interleukin 2 receptors on T-cells from Sezary syndrome patients and provide evidence that SAF may be a novel cytokine.