Aberrant expression of ganglioside and asialoglycosphingolipid antigens in adult T-cell leukemia cells.

Gangliosides (GM3, GD3, GM2, gangliotetraose-series gangliosides) and their asialo derivatives of several adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) cell lines (ATL-1K, ATL-3I, ATL-5S, and MT-2 cells) and the lymphocytes from a patient with ATL were quantified by highly sensitive enzyme-immunostaining on silica gel thin layer chromatograms using specific antiglycolipid antibodies. GM2 and GD3 gangliosides and asialo GM1 (GA1) newly appeared in all cultured ATL cells and the lymphocytes from patients with ATL but not in normal human T-lymphocyte-rich fraction. Gangliotetraose-series gangliosides, GM1a, GD1a and GD1b, were also found in cultured ATL cells, but were not detected in normal human lymphocytes or the lymphocytes of a patient with ATL. Quantitative immunostaining analysis of GM2, GD3 gangliosides and GA1 in T-cell lines from non ATL leukemia (Molt-3, CEM and Jurkat) revealed GM2 gangliosides in all the T-cells from non ATL tested and GA1 in Jurkat cells, but no GD3 ganglioside was found in the non ATL leukemia cells tested. The above results indicate that ganglioside GD3 may be a T-cell glycosphingolipid antigen associated with ATL, and ganglioside GM2 and GA1 may be useful as surface markers related with ATL, as well as T-cell lymphoma. The contents of GA1, GM3, GD3, GM2 and gangliotetraose-series gangliosides in ATL cells were all different, even though all the cells used have a common antigen reactive with monoclonal OKT-4 antibody, indicating that there are several subsets of human inducer/helper T-cells, which possess different metabolism and expression of gangliosides.