Cell surface proteins of chicken hematopoietic progenitors, thrombocytes and eosinophils detected by novel monoclonal antibodies.

E26 is an acute avian leukemia virus that contains two nuclear oncogenes, v-myb and v-ets, and that is capable of transforming early cells of the erythroid and myeloid lineages. In another study, we have found that TPA (phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate) treatment of E26-transformants displaying an 'early erythroid' phenotype results in the production of cells with either myeloid or eosinophil characteristics. To analyze this induction in greater detail we have produced a panel of four monoclonal antibodies against E26-transformants before and after TPA-induced differentiation. Two antibodies, MEP21 and MEP26, reacted with proteins of 150 and 47-60 kDa, respectively, which are expressed on the surface of E26 progenitor cells but whose expression is extinguished following TPA-induced differentiation. A third antibody, EOS47, recognizes a 100 kDa molecule that is expressed on the surface of TPA-induced peroxidase positive cells (an enzyme that in avian species is restricted to cells of the eosinophilic lineage). MEP21, MEP26, and EOS47 do not react with lymphoid, myeloid, or more mature erythroid lineage cell lines. The fourth antibody, MEP17, recognizes a heterodimer of 140 and 150 kDa chains which is expressed at high levels by E26-transformed progenitor cells and at lower levels by TPA-induced cells. Further biochemical characterization of the MEP17 antigen revealed a structure similar to that of the leukocyte adhesion molecule VLA-4; a member of the integrin family of adhesion proteins. All four antibodies react with subpopulations of cells in the bone marrow and spleens of 1-day-old chickens. Although the MEP21 and MEP26 antibodies do not appear to react with mature cells of most hematopoietic lineages they are expressed at high levels by mature thrombocytes. In addition, MEP17 is expressed at high levels by the majority of bursal B-cells, thrombocytes, and more weakly by thymocytes. The reagents described should be useful as markers for the study of development, migration, and differentiation of normal avian hematopoietic progenitor cells and eosinophilic precursors, and for the study of retrovirus-induced neoplasia.