Induction of myeloperoxidase in five cases of acute unclassified leukaemia.

For further analysis of their lineage affinity the differentiation capacity of five cases of acute unclassified leukaemias were studied in vitro using 5 nM 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate as an inducing agent. After 4 d in vitro a co-expression of both myeloid and early B-lymphoid or myeloid and early T-lymphoid antigens on the same population of cells was found. While ultrastructural analysis of the blasts prior to culture revealed the morphology of undifferentiated blasts without any specific endogenous peroxidase activity, the cultured blasts displayed monoblastic features and myeloperoxidase activity after 4 d in vitro. Since this type of peroxidase is highly specific for the myelomonocytic lineage the data indicate myelomonocytoid differentiation of all five cases studied. The co-expression of lymphoid as well as myeloid antigens and myeloperoxidase by the same blasts after culture could be indicative of bilineage differentiation capacity characterizing the original blasts as bipotential progenitor cells.