T cell receptor beta chain gene rearrangements in leukemias with immature T cell phenotype.

The arrangements of the T cell receptor (TCR) beta genes were studied in leukemias with immature T cell phenotype. Three cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and one case of chronic myelocytic leukemia in blastic crisis (CML-BC), which expressed only Tp40 antigen of cluster of differentiation (CD) 7 without erythrocyte rosette receptor (E), did not show rearrangements of TCR beta chain genes. Two of 5 ALL cases which expressed an additional T cell antigen, T1 of CD5, showed rearrangements of TCR beta genes. Two cases of CML-BC expressing T1 and Tp40, however, had unrearranged TCR beta genes. The results altogether showed that a part of E- T1+ Tp40+ ALL cases is of T cell origin.